Ray Leger (January 6, 1925 – October 14, 2009) was an American politician and educator who served as a member of the

New Mexico Senate The New Mexico Senate ( es, Senado de Nuevo México) is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the stat ...

for the 8th district from 1973 to 1980.

Early life and education

Leger was born on January 6, 1925, 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 ...

, the 11th of 14 children. After graduating from

Las Vegas High School Las Vegas High School is a public high school in Sunrise Manor, Nevada, part of the Clark County School District. It is the oldest high school in Las Vegas and originally opened in 1905 on what was then the outskirts of town. The school's first c ...

, Leger served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during the end of

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 opposing ...

. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education from

New Mexico Highlands University New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) is a public university in Las Vegas, New Mexico. Founded in 1893, it has satellite campuses in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Farmington and Roswell. NMHU has an average annual enrollment of approximate ...

Career

After earning his master's degree, Leger began working as an educator in

Northern New Mexico Northern New Mexico in cultural terms usually refers to the area of heavy-Spanish settlement in the north-central part of New Mexico. However, New Mexico state government also uses the term to mean the northwest and north central, but to exclude ...

. He later served as Superintendent of

West Las Vegas Schools West Las Vegas Public Schools is a school district based in Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States. The district covers a area in southern San Miguel County. Within the city of Las Vegas, the district serves areas located west of the Gallinas R ...

. Through a partnership with the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

, Leger worked as an educational advisor to the Costa Rica Ministry of Public Education. Initially a member of the Republican Party, Leger registered as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in the late-1960s. Leger was a delegate to the 1969 New Mexico Constitutional Convention. He served as a member of the

for the 8th district from 1973 to 1980. During his tenure, Leger focused on public education and health services legislation. As a state senator, he supported a bill that provided funding for

Luna Community College Luna Community College is a public community college in Las Vegas, New Mexico. The college also has campuses in Mora, Springer and Santa Rosa. History The college was founded in 1969 as the result of a 1967 act of authorization by the New Mexi ...

. He also worked to support the Bilingual Education Act. After leaving the Senate, Leger worked as a lobbyist until his retirement in 2003.

Personal life

Leger met his wife, Mela, while attending

. The couple had seven children, including U.S. Representative

Teresa Leger Fernandez Teresa Isabel Leger Fernandez ( ; born July 1, 1959) is an American attorney and politician representing New Mexico's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. Early life and education Leger Fernandez was born ...

. Leger died on October 14, 2009, in

. Leger and his wife, Mela, are commemorated by a roadside plaque in Guadalupe County for their contributions to bilingual education.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leger, Ray 1925 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American politicians Democratic Party New Mexico state senators People from Las Vegas, New Mexico New Mexico Highlands University alumni School superintendents in New Mexico American lobbyists People from San Miguel County, New Mexico