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| George Curry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico's at-large district | |
| In office January 8, 1912 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | 2nd seat established |
| Succeeded by | 2nd seat abolished |
| 17th Governor of New Mexico Territory | |
| In office April 20, 1907 – March 1, 1910 | |
| Appointed by | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Herbert James Hagerman |
| Succeeded by | William J. Mills |
| Governor of Samar | |
| In office 1905–1907 | |
| Preceded by | Segundo Singzon |
| Succeeded by | Maximo Cinco |
| Governor of Isabela | |
| In office 1903–1905 | |
| Preceded by | Francisco Dichoso |
| Succeeded by | Blas Villamor |
| Governor of Ambos Camarines | |
| In office 1901 | |
| Preceded by | Modern position created, last held by a Spanish Governor |
| Succeeded by | James Ross |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1861-04-03)April 3, 1861 West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, C.S. |
| Died | November 27, 1947(1947-11-27) (aged 86) Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Occupation | politician |
George Curry (April 3, 1861 – November 27, 1947) was a U.S. military officer and politician. He was governor of New Mexico Territory from 1907 to 1910, and once it became a state he represented it in the 62nd United States Congress. Curry County, New Mexico, is named in his honor.
Early life
He was born in West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, on April 3, 1861, to George Alexander and Clara Madden Curry. He was the eldest of four sons. Curry's mother was a graduate of Dublin University and his father was a mechanic who managed Greenwood Plantation. His father served as a captain in the Confederate Army and after the Civil War purchased Sevastopol Plantation. Curry's father was a parish leader of the local Ku Klux Klan, and in 1870 he was ambushed and killed. Three years later Curry's mother moved the family to Dodge City, Kansas, where Curry got his first job at age 12 working as a messenger boy for a mercantile company. Following his mother's death in 1879, Curry moved to Lincoln County, New Mexico, where he worked on a cattle ranch until 1881. Over the next few years Curry held several jobs managing stores and hotels. He acted as post trader at Fort Stanton, and engaged in the mercantile and stock business until 1886.
Career
Curry began his political career at age 23 when he became a member of Colfax County's delegation at the Democratic Territorial Convention in Albuquerque. He was deputy treasurer of Lincoln County, New Mexico, in 1886 and 1887, elected county clerk in 1888, county assessor in 1890, and sheriff in 1892. He served as a member of the Territorial senate in 1894 and 1896, serving as president in his final year in the body.
During the Spanish–American War he served in Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders. He did not see action in Cuba, but did participate in the fighting in the Philippines.
After returning from the war, he became sheriff of Otero County, New Mexico in 1899. He then resigned to join the Eleventh Volunteer Cavalry where he served from December 16, 1899 to March 20, 1901 in the Philippines. Following the organization of provincial governments there, he was appointed as the inaugural governor of Ambos Camarines in 1901, the chief of police of Manila for the remainder of 1901, the governor of Isabela from 1903 to 1905, and the governor of Samar from 1905 to 1907.
He served as the 18th Governor of New Mexico Territory from 1907 to 1910, and upon the admission of New Mexico as a State into the Union was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-second Congress and served from January 8, 1912, to March 3, 1913.
Curry declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1912. He then engaged in the hotel business in Socorro, New Mexico, was private secretary to US Senator Holm O. Bursum in 1921 and 1922, and was a member of the International Boundary Commission from 1922 to 1927. In April 1932, he was falsely reported to have died in Hillsboro; Curry's son Clifford unsuccessfully sued the Albuquerque Journal for causing a heart attack upon reading the story in the newspaper. After retiring, Curry moved to a ranch near Cutter, and served as State Historian from 1945 until his death in Albuquerque on November 27, 1947, with interment in the Santa Fe National Cemetery. Curry County, New Mexico, was named in his honor.
Magtaon Attack
On March 24, 1906, during the Pulahan Campaign as Governor of Samar, Curry negotiated with Cipriano "Teducduc" Amango and Isidro "Otoy" Pompac the Pulahan leaders of southeastern Samar. Assured that the Pulahan forces were falling from attrition, Curry negotiated to meet at a neutral small barrio not shown on most maps, Magtaon in Mapanas. For the negotiations the army garrison was replaced by a constabulary unit. Present for the negotiations were Curry, a constabulary honour guard and visitors. As the Pulahan began filing in they suddenly attacked, killing 22 constables, capturing several rifles and fleeing into the jungle. Curry barely escaped and in retaliation ordered
"in your operations outside the towns and barrios you may kill anyone you have reason to a pulahan'; those who were members of the 'Magtaon band' were to be 'exterminated'"
Gallery
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Side profile
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1913 Newspaper Clipping
References
- ^ "George Curry". New Mexico History. July 23, 2015. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- State of New Mexico (July 2012). Kathryn A. Flynn (ed.). 2012 Centennial Blue Book (PDF). Diana J. Duran. Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State. p. 210. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
- Curry v. Journal Publishing Co., 68 P.2d 168 (N.M. 1937).
- ^ Linn, Brian (January 1999). "The Pulahan Campaign: A Study in US Pacification". War in History. 6 (1): 60, 63. doi:10.1177/096834459900600102. JSTOR 26014110.
External links
- United States Congress. "George Curry (id: C001002)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Governor of Ambos Camarines 1901 |
Succeeded byJames Ross |
| Preceded byFrancisco Dichoso | Governor of Isabela 1903–1905 |
Succeeded byBlas Villamor |
| Preceded bySegundo Singzon | Governor of Samar 1905–1907 |
Succeeded byMaximo Cinco |
| Preceded byHerbert James Hagerman | Governor of New Mexico Territory 1907–1910 |
Succeeded byWilliam J. Mills |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| New seat | Representative from New Mexico 1912–1913 |
2nd seat eliminated |
| Governors of New Mexico | ||
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Military Admin (1846–1851) |  | |
| U.S. Territory (1851–1912) | ||
| State (since 1912) | ||
| See also Mexican governors of New Mexico, Spanish governors of New Mexico | ||
| Members of the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Territorial (1851–1912) |
|  | |||||
| At-large seats (1912–1969) |
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| Districts (1969–present) (3rd district established in 1983) |
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| Rough Riders | ||
|---|---|---|
| Officers |  | |
| Enlisted men | ||
| Engagements | ||
| Memorials | ||
| Film | ||
| See also | ||
- 1861 births
- 1947 deaths
- People from West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico
- Governors of New Mexico Territory
- Members of the New Mexico Territorial Legislature
- Governors of Ambos Camarines
- People of the Spanish–American War
- Governors of Samar (province)
- Governors of Isabela (province)
- 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives