Ralph Emerson Twitchell (1859–1925) was an American attorney,
historian, and politician who served as the mayor of
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
and chairman of the
Rio Grande Commission, which drafted a treaty between the United States and Mexico leading to the building of the
Elephant Butte Dam
Elephant Butte Dam or Elephant Butte Dike, originally Engle Dam, is a concrete gravity dam on the Rio Grande near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. The dam impounds Elephant Butte Reservoir, which is used mainly for agriculture but also provides ...
. Twitchell helped organize the first
National Irrigation Congress in 1891. He designed the first
Flag of New Mexico in 1915.
Early life and education
Ralph Emerson Twitchell was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to David Sawin and Delia Scott Twitchell.
He received his Bachelor's degree from the
University of Kansas and his
L.L.B. from the
University of Michigan Law School.
Career
He first moved to New Mexico Territory in 1882, settling in
Las Vegas, New Mexico to work in the law office of Henry L. Waldo.
For forty-three years Twitchell worked in the legal department of the
Santa Fe Railroad. He was prosecuting attorney for
Santa Fe County and special counsel for the
United States Department of the Interior, specializing in
Native American and
water rights cases.
["Former Mayor of Santa Fe Called," ''Los Angeles Times,'' August 27, 1925, page A-1]
''Access to this link may require the use of a library card.''
Personal life
In 1885, he married Margaret Olivia Collins. He died August 25, 1925, at the age of 68 in
Los Angeles, California.
["California Death Index, 1905-1939," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKSM-NQ94 : 8 November 2017), Ralph E Twitchell, 26 Aug 1925; citing 37335, Department of Health Services, Vital Statistics Department, Sacramento; FHL microfilm 1,686,047.]
Bibliography
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* ''Old Santa Fe''
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References
External links
Twitchell, Ralph Emerson
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1859 births
1925 deaths
Mayors of Santa Fe, New Mexico
New Mexico lawyers
American historians
United States Department of the Interior officials
New Mexico Republicans
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway people
People from Las Vegas, New Mexico
University of Kansas alumni
University of Michigan Law School alumni
19th-century American lawyers
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