Sara Jane Misquez (September 6, 1945 – January 9, 2008) was an American

Mescalero Apache Mescalero or Mescalero Apache ( apm, Naa'dahéńdé) is an Apache tribe of Southern Athabaskan–speaking Native Americans. The tribe is federally recognized as the Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Apache Reservation, located in south-cen ...

Native American leader. Misquez served as the president of the

of southern

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 ...

Early life

Evidently member of the same Mizquiz family of the famous chief

Alsate Alsate, also known as Arzate, Arzatti, and Pedro Múzquiz, (ca. 1820 – 1881/1882) was the last chief of the Chisos band of Limpia Mescalero Apaches. He was the son of Josè Miguel Maria del Refugio Sabas Muzquiz Gonzalez, who was captured by ...

, Sara Misquez was born on September 6, 1945, in

Mescalero, New Mexico Mescalero ( apm, Mashgal) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Otero County, New Mexico, United States, located on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. The population was 1,338 at the 2010 census. History The settlement was originally calle ...

, but she was raised in

Three Rivers, New Mexico Three Rivers is an unincorporated community in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. Its elevation is 4,570 feet (1,393 m). Notable people *Virginia Klinekole, first female president of the Mescalero Apache, 1959 *Sara Misquez, president of t ...

. Her husband was Gilbert Misquez. Misquez earned a degree in

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

from

Haskell Indian Junior College Haskell Indian Nations University is a public tribal land-grant university in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1884 as a residential boarding school for American Indian children, the school has developed into a university operated by t ...

, which is now known as the

Haskell Indian Nations University Haskell Indian Nations University is a public tribal land-grant university in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1884 as a residential boarding school for American Indian children, the school has developed into a university operated by t ...

, in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

Mescalero presidency

Misquez was first appointed president of the

in May 1999, following the death of the longtime leader of the tribe for 43 years,

Wendell Chino Wendell Chino (25 December 1923 – 4 November 1998 ) was a leader of the Mescalero Apache nation. Wendell Chino was born in Mescalero, New Mexico, on 25 December 1923. Chino, fiercely proud and independent, helped the Apache The Apache ( ...

on November 4, 1998, and the May 1999 ouster of Paul Ortega by the Mescalero Tribal Council after he served six months as president. Misquez, who was a longtime aide of Wendell Chino, went on to win the tribe's presidential election in August 1999. Misquez was defeated for re-election in the 2001 election for president by Mark Chino, who is the son of former president Wendell Chino. However, the results of the election were thrown out by the Mascalero tribal council just two weeks later because of a controversy involving the

voting machines A voting machine is a machine used to record votes in an election without paper. The first voting machines were mechanical but it is increasingly more common to use ''electronic voting machines''. Traditionally, a voting machine has been defin ...

. Misquez won the new special presidential election, which was held in January 2002. She was defeated again by Mark Chino in the tribe's next presidential election in November 2003. Misquez defeated Chino in the tribe's 2007 primary election when she received the most votes, followed by

Carleton Naiche-Palmer Carleton A. Naiche-Palmer (June 22, 1947 – December 12, 2010) was elected president of the Mescalero Apache Tribe in 2008. He served one term, until early 2010. Biography Early life and education Carleton Naiche-Palmer was born in 1947 ...

. However, Naiche-Palmer went on to win the 2007 general election to become president of the

. Before she became president, Misquez also served as the tribe's administrator, council member and tribal

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

Death

Sara Misquez died on January 9, 2008, in a one car crash on

U.S. Route 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern United States, Southeastern, Southern Unite ...

near

Tularosa, New Mexico Tularosa is a villageFor census purposes it is called a village, but in New Mexico it is historically called a town. See, for example, Otero, Miguel A. (1903) ''Report of the Governor of New Mexico to the Secretary of the Interior - 1903'' Governme ...

. She was 62 years old. Her 1999

Oldsmobile Oldsmobile or formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produ ...

sports utility vehicle A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive. There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...

was travelling east when it veered into the

median In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...

and overturned. Misquez is survived by her husband, two sons, and one daughter. She was preceded in death by a son, Gilbert Ralph Misquez.

New Mexico Governor , insignia = Seal of the Governor of New Mexico.svg , insigniasize = 110px , insigniacaption = Seal of the Governor , image = File:Michelle Lujan Grisham 2021.jpg , imagesize = 200px , alt = , incumbent = Michelle Lujan Grisham , incu ...

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was also the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Energy Secretary ...

released a statement on news of her death stating, "President Misquez led the Mescalero Apaches with honor and dignity. On behalf of all New Mexicans, I send my sincere condolences to President Misquez's family and friends."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Misquez, Sara 1945 births 2008 deaths Presidents of the Mescalero Apache Female Native American leaders Native American activists Road incident deaths in New Mexico Women in New Mexico politics People from Otero County, New Mexico Haskell Indian Nations University alumni 20th-century American women 21st-century American women 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native Americans