Solomon Luna (1858–1912) was an American rancher and banker. He became one of the largest sheep owners in

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 ...

. By the time of his death, "he was one of the wealthiest and most respected men in New Mexico."

Early life

Solomon Luna was born on October 18, 1858 in

Los Lunas, New Mexico Los Lunas is a village in Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population is 14,835 inside the village limits due to the new housing developments at El Cerro de Los Lunas (Huning Ranch). It is the county ...

. His father was Antonio Luna and his mother, Isabella. Luna graduated from

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

Career

Luna was a rancher in New Mexico. In the 1880s, he sued William B. Slaughter and his brother John Bunyan Slaughter over rangeland they had claim; Luna won the lawsuit. Meanwhile, he "became the largest sheep owner in New Mexico." Luna was the treasurer and tax collector of Valencia County from 1894 onwards. Luna was a delegate at the 1910 state constitutional convention. In 1911, when the

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 ...

became the state of

, Luna was elected in this same capacity. Additionally, Luna served as the president of Bank of Commerce 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 ...

from 1904 onwards.

Personal life

Luna was married to Adelina Oero and had no children. His nephew, Maximiliano Luna, served in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

and the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. His son predeceased him. Luna was the uncle of suffragist Nina Otero-Warren. Luna was a member of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

and the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

Death and legacy

Luna died by drowning in a sheep vat on his ranch in

Bernalillo County, New Mexico Bernalillo County () is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Mexico.Bernalillo Co ...

on August 29, 1912. He was buried at the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. By the time of his death, "he was one of the wealthiest and most respected men in New Mexico."

Los Lunas High School Los Lunas High School is a public high school in Los Lunas, New Mexico. History Los Lunas High School was founded in 1926 as Solomon Luna High School. It was named for Solomon Luna, the most prominent political and financial leader of the area ...

, a high school in his hometown of Los Lunas, was named in his honor. In 1963, he was inducted into the

Hall of Great Westerners The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American W ...

of the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native Americans in the United States, American Indian art works and Artifact (archaeology), ar ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Luna, Solomon 1858 births 1912 deaths People from Los Lunas, New Mexico People from Bernalillo County, New Mexico Saint Louis University alumni Ranchers from New Mexico American bankers New Mexico Republicans