John Field Simms Jr. (December 18, 1916 – April 11, 1975) was an American politician and lawyer from the state of

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

who served as the 16th Governor of New Mexico.

Early life and education

Simms was born in

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

on December 18, 1916. He graduated from

New Mexico Military Institute New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) is a public military junior college and high school in Roswell, New Mexico. Founded in 1891, NMMI operates under the auspices of the State of New Mexico, under a dedicated Board of Regents that reports to the G ...

in 1933 and from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

in 1937. In 1940, he received his LL.B. degree from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by ''U ...

Career

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Simms joined the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

. He served until the end of the war, primarily in England, and carried out staff assignments at

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

headquarters and Air Service Command headquarters. He was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in June 1945, and left the service soon afterwards. Simms practiced law in addition to owning and operating his family's ranching business. Simms ran successfully for the New Mexico House of Representatives in 1946 and 1948. He was chosen to serve as

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

in his second term, and served from 1949 to 1951. From 1950 to 1954, Simms was a member of the New Mexico Commission for Promotion of Uniform State Laws. In 1954, Simms was the successful Democratic nominee for governor. He served one term, 1955 to 1957 and presided over an increasing federal presence in the state. He also worked to make meetings of the state legislature more public and attempted to make the state government more accessible with initiatives including answering his own office phone. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1956. After leaving office, Simms returned to his ranching interests and legal practice.

Personal life

Simms was the son of Anne Clapton (Schluter) Simms and John F. Simms Sr. (1885–1954), who served as an associate justice of the

New Mexico Supreme Court The New Mexico Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal decisi ...

. In 1940, he married Ruth Reynolds (1915–1989), they were the parents of three sons and two daughters. Simms died in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

on April 11, 1975. He was buried at Fairview Memorial Park in Albuquerque. The John F. Simms Building, which is a part of the

New Mexico State Capitol The New Mexico State Capitol, located in Santa Fe at 490 Old Santa Fe Trail, is the seat of government of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the only round state capitol in the United States and is known informally as "the Roundhouse". Desig ...

complex, is named for him. In 1961 an episode of the television series

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

, 'The Newborn', was filmed partially at his ranch according to the closing credits.

References

John Field Simms Jr.
at National Governors Association

at The Political Graveyard Democratic Party governors of New Mexico Democratic Party members of the New Mexico House of Representatives 1916 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American Episcopalians {{NewMexico-politician-stub