Toney Anaya (born April 29, 1941) is an American politician and attorney who served as the
26th governor of New Mexico
, insignia = Seal of the Governor of New Mexico.svg
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, image = File:Michelle Lujan Grisham 2021.jpg
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, incumbent = Michelle Lujan Grisham
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from 1983 to 1987.
Early life and career
Anaya was born on in
Moriarty, New Mexico
Moriarty is a town in Torrance County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,910 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Moriarty is located at (34.999815, -106.046667).
According to ...
. He earned a Bacheor of Arts degree from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
and a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from
American University's
Washington College of Law
The American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL or WCL) is the law school of American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It is located on the western side of Tenley Circle in the Tenleytown section of nort ...
in 1967.
Career
After returning to New Mexico, Anaya worked as a
Santa Fe County
Santa Fe County ( es, Condado de Santa Fe; meaning ''Holy faith'' in Spanish) is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 144,170, making it New Mexico's third-most populous county, after Bernalillo Cou ...
attorney and assistant district attorney for the First Judicial District. He later established a private law practice in
Santa Fe.
New Mexico Attorney General
![Jimmy Carter Tony Anaya 1978-03-01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Jimmy_Carter_Tony_Anaya_1978-03-01.jpg)
From 1975 to 1979, Anaya served as
New Mexico Attorney General
The Attorney General of New Mexico, an elected executive officer of the state, oversees the New Mexico Attorney General's Office and serves as head of the New Mexico Department of Justice.
The officeholder, who is required to be a licensed attor ...
. During his service as attorney general, Anaya oversaw an investigation of the upward curve in the level of drugs in the
Penitentiary of New Mexico
The Penitentiary of New Mexico (PNM) is a men's maximum-security prison located in unincorporated Santa Fe County, south of central Santa Fe, on New Mexico State Road 14. It is operated by the New Mexico Corrections Department.
The complex cons ...
after 1972. In 1975 his investigation found that some penitentiary staff members not only overlooked drug trafficking but were actually involved in it. The trafficking involved both street drugs, such as heroin, and drugs pilfered from the prison's pharmacy. The 1975 investigation reported very loose controls on pharmacy drugs.
Anaya launched a nine-month investigation of the New Mexico Penitentiary administration, resulting in a 27-page 1975 report. The report documented traffic in heroin, cocaine, cash and liquor in the penitentiary. It also concluded that sides of beef had been regularly diverted from the prison kitchen loading docks into the pickup trucks of certain favored correctional officers.
Anaya and state Corrections Department Director
Michael Francke
James Michael Francke (; October 2, 1946 – January 17, 1989) was a New Mexico judge and director of the state's Corrections Department, the governmental bureau which manages prisons, inmates and parolees. He was later appointed by then-Oregon ...
signed a consent order in the New Mexico U.S. District Court compelling the penitentiary of New Mexico to improve classification practices, stop illegal disciplinary procedures, reduce overcrowding, and significantly improve the food, water supply, plumbing, heating, ventilation and electricity. Ordered by District Judge Edwin Felter, the decree was largely ignored and unenforced for more than three and a half years prior to the
New Mexico State Penitentiary riot. In
1978, Anaya ran for
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
, but was defeated by
incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...
Republican
Pete Domenici
Pietro Vichi "Pete" Domenici (May 7, 1932 – September 13, 2017) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States Senator from New Mexico from 1973 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served six terms in the S ...
. In
1982, he was elected the
26th governor of New Mexico.
Governor of New Mexico
As governor, Anaya focused on energy alternatives, water development and conservation, the environment, education, and economic development. Known as a visionary, he steered the state through a national recession, transforming New Mexico into a more technology-based economy and laying the groundwork for future deployment of rapid rail transit, education and social reform.
In 1986, after the election of his successor,
Garrey Carruthers
Garrey Edward Carruthers (born August 29, 1939) is an American politician and academic who served as the 27th governor of New Mexico and the chancellor of New Mexico State University. He previously served as special assistant to the U.S. Secret ...
, Anaya
commuted the
death sentence
Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that ...
s of all five
death row
Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...
inmates in New Mexico. He is a longtime opponent of capital punishment, had campaigned against the death penalty and in later interviews expressed no regret for the commutations.
Anaya made headlines on March 28, 1986, by declaring New Mexico the nation's first "
State of Sanctuary" for refugees from Central America.
Anaya served one term as governor, from 1983 to 1987. At that time, the
New Mexico Constitution did not allow executive officers to succeed themselves for consecutive terms. That changed when a 1986 Constitutional amendment allowed state executive officers to serve two consecutive four-year terms for terms beginning January 1, 1991.
Later career
![Toney Anaya 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Toney_Anaya_2008.jpg)
Since leaving office, Anaya has served on numerous boards, commissions, and at nonprofit organizations, primarily focusing on Hispanic issues, education, and politics. He contributed significantly to the
Democratic National Committee and the
North American Free Trade Agreement
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA ; es, Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, TLCAN; french: Accord de libre-échange nord-américain, ALÉNA) was an agreement signed by Canada, Mexico, and the United States that crea ...
.
In 2009, New Mexico Governor
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 ...
appointed Anaya to head the New Mexico Office of Recovery and Reinvestment. In that role, Anaya was responsible for overseeing the spending of the $1.8 billion in federal stimulus money expected to be invested in New Mexico during the next two years. Anaya worked closely with state agencies to facilitate access to funding, assist with compliance, and promote transparency throughout the process.
From August 2009 to January 2011, Anaya served as CEO of Natural Blue Resources, a
Woburn, Massachusetts
Woburn ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,876 at the 2020 census. Woburn is located north of Boston. Woburn uses Massachusetts' mayor-council form of government, in which an elected mayor is ...
-based
penny stock company specializing in investments in environmentally friendly companies, including a New Mexico-based initiative to sell purified water. In July 2014, Anaya was accused of serving as a front man for the company, which was actually controlled by an ex-con who was legally barred from acting as an officer of a public company. Anaya entered into a civil settlement with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...
relating to charges that he committed fraud. Under the terms of the settlement, Anaya agreed to a five-year ban from penny stock offerings and a
cease-and-desist order without admitting or denying the charges.
Former New Mexico governor Anaya settles SEC fraud charges (Reuters.com article-July 16, 2014)
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Anaya, Toney
1941 births
20th-century American politicians
Candidates in the 1978 United States elections
Democratic Party governors of New Mexico
Living people
Georgetown University alumni
Hispanic and Latino American state governors of the United States
New Mexico Attorneys General
People from Moriarty, New Mexico
Washington College of Law alumni