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Miguel Antonio Otero II (October 17, 1859 – August 7, 1944) was an American politician, businessman, and author who served as the 16th Governor of
New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...
from 1897 to 1906. He was the son of Miguel Antonio Otero, a prominent businessman and New Mexico politician.


Early life

Miguel Antonio Otero had an adventurous boyhood as his father, a businessman and railroad baron, moved the family from town to town across
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
,
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, and
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 ...
. The family established a permanent home in
Las Vegas, New Mexico Las Vegas is a city in and the county seat of San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States. Once two separate municipalities (one a city and the other a town), both were named Las Vegas—West Las Vegas ("Old Town") and East Las Vegas ("New Town" ...
about 1879. He attended St. Louis University and the
University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...
with his older brother Page, but preferred socializing to studying. He returned to Las Vegas in 1880 to work in his father's bank.


Career


Politics

While working as a banker, land broker, and livestock broke in Las Vegas, Otero began his career in politics. In a few years, he served as city clerk, probate clerk, county clerk, and recorder, and district court clerk. In 1892 he served as a delegate to the
Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...
and met
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
Senator
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...
. When McKinley was elected
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
in 1896, he appointed Otero governor of the
Territory of New Mexico The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becoming ...
. Given Otero's youth (37 years), his meager statewide experience, and his lack of support from either political party, the appointment was somewhat of a surprise. The Otero name was well known in New Mexico, however, and initially he was supported by a wide range of constituencies. As New Mexico moved towards statehood, Otero survived struggles against a variety of political factions in his own party. After McKinley's
assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
, he survived a particularly brutal battle with Thomas B. Catron to earn reappointment by President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
. In 1899, he chartered the first secondary school in Santa Fe, Santa Fe High School. The infighting eventually took its toll, and in 1906, Roosevelt replaced Otero after more than eight years in the governor's mansion. After leaving office, he returned to banking and mining before serving as state treasurer from 1909 to 1911. Otero attempted a comeback as governor in 1912, but failing to receive the
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
nomination and joined the
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. In later years he served on several commissions, including four years (1917 to 1921) as marshal of the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
.


Writing

In 1936, Otero published ''The Real Billy the Kid; With New Light on the Lincoln County War''. After William Bonney was jailed in Las Vegas in 1880, Otero and his brother Page rode with the prisoner as he was transported by train from
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
to Santa Fe. Remaining in Santa Fe for a while, the pair visited the Kid in jail many times, bringing him tobacco, gum, and sweets, and generally finding him a sympathetic, if misguided, figure. Written some fifty years after Pat Garrett's original account, Otero's was the first book to present
Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at t ...
in a relatively positive light. The book was edited - some say ghost written - by
Marshall Latham Bond Marshall Latham Bond was one of two brothers who were Jack London's landlords and among his employers during the autumn of 1897 and the spring of 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. They were the owners of the dog that London fictionalized as Bu ...
whose father
Hiram Bond Hiram Bond was born May 10, 1838 in Farmersville, Cattaraugus County, New York and died in Seattle March 29, 1906. He was a corporate lawyer, investment banker and an investor in various businesses including gold mining. His family are descende ...
was involved in trading with the Otero family out of Denver after 1872 and who owned a hundred square mile ranch in the area after the
Lincoln County War The Lincoln County War was an Old West conflict between rival factions which began in 1878 in Lincoln County, New Mexico Territory, the predecessor of the state of New Mexico, and continued until 1881. The feud became famous because of the pa ...
. Sandwiched around this book, Otero authored a three-part autobiography. The first installment, ''My Life on the Frontier, 1864–1882'', was published in 1935 and covered the adventures of his youth through age 23, when his father died suddenly. ''My Life on the Frontier, 1882–1897'' dealt with his early career in public service. ''My Nine Years as Governor of the Territory of New Mexico, 1897–1906'' chronicles the turmoils of New Mexico on the verge of statehood.His writing is an early example of political autobiography, as his reflections are often a validation of his and his family's political choices. As a major proponent of New Mexico Statehood, Otero infuses the 3-volume autobiography with examples of how he helped "modernize" the territory and pave the way for statehood. The first book of the memoir is especially captivating, as Otero recalls several encounters with Western icons such as
Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and n ...
,
Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, gambler, showman, and actor, and for his involvement ...
, Gen.
George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...
,
Doc Holliday John Henry Holliday (August 14, 1851 – November 8, 1887), better known as Doc Holliday, was an American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist. A close friend and associate of lawman Wyatt Earp, Holliday is best known for his role in the event ...
,
Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...
, and
Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...
. Throughout these adventures, Otero casts himself as a civilizing force who learned from these wild westerners, but also brought more structured law, order, and economic advancement to the territory.


Aids Earp posse

Otero is believed to have written a letter that described a portion of the
Earp Vendetta Ride The Earp Vendetta Ride was a deadly search by a federal posse led by Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp for a loose confederation of outlaw "Cowboys" they believed had ambushed his brothers Virgil and Morgan Earp, maiming the former and killing t ...
in 1882, when his father met the Earp posse in Albuquerque. Otero's presence in Albuquerque was corroborated by local newspapers. According to the letter, Wyatt and Holliday were eating at The Retreat Restaurant in Albuquerque, owned by "Fat Charlie", "when Holliday said something about Earp becoming 'a damn Jew-boy.' Earp became angry and left…. enryJaffa told me later that Earp’s woman was a Jewess. Earp did
mezuzah A ''mezuzah'' ( he, מְזוּזָה "doorpost"; plural: ''mezuzot'') is a piece of parchment, known as a ''klaf'', contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah ( and ). These verses consist of the J ...
when entering the house." Wyatt was staying with a prominent businessman Henry N. Jaffa, who was also president of New Albuquerque’s Board of Trade. Jaffa was also Jewish, and based on the letter, Earp had while staying in Jaffa's home honored Jewish tradition by performing the mezuzah upon entering his home. According to Otero's letter, Jaffa told him that "Earp's woman was a Jewess." Earp's anger at Holliday's racial slur may indicate that the relationship between Josephine Marcus and Wyatt Earp was more serious at the time than is commonly known. The information in the letter is compelling because at the time it was written in the 1940s, the relationship between Wyatt Earp and Josephine Marcus while living in Tombstone was virtually unknown. The only way Otero could know these things was if he had a relationship with someone who had personal knowledge of the individuals involved.


In popular culture

These locations were named after the Miguel Antonio Oteros.Otero, Miguel Antonio. ''My Life on the Frontier: 1864–1882'' (Press of the Pioneers, 1935) * Otero, New Mexico (ghost town in Colfax County), named in 1879. *
Otero County, Colorado Otero County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,690. The county seat is La Junta. The county was named for Miguel Antonio Otero, one of the founders of the town of La Junta and a ...
, named in 1889. *
Otero County, New Mexico Otero County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,797. Its county seat is Alamogordo. Its southern boundary is the Texas state line. It is named for Miguel Antonio Otero, the territo ...
, named in 1899 while Miguel Antonio Otero (II) was territorial governor.


Notes


Bibliography

*Otero, Miguel Antonio. ''My Life on the Frontier, 1864–1882'' (New York, 1935). *Otero, Miguel Antonio. ''My Life on the Frontier, 1882–1897'' (Albuquerque, 1939). *Otero, Miguel Antonio. ''My Nine Years as Governor of New Mexico Territory'' (Albuquerque, 1940). *Otero, Miguel Antonio. ''The Real Billy the Kid; With New Light on the Lincoln County War'' (1936). } {{DEFAULTSORT:Otero, Miguel Antonio (Ii) 1859 births 1944 deaths American politicians of Mexican descent American politicians of Spanish descent American writers of Mexican descent Governors of New Mexico Territory Hispanic and Latino American state governors of the United States New Mexico Progressives (1912) New Mexico Republicans Neomexicanos Writers from Santa Fe, New Mexico Hispanic and Latino American people in New Mexico politics