Cowboy In The Roundhouse

Bruce King towered over the political landscape of New Mexico in the last half of the twentieth century. Born the son of a homesteader in the tiny Santa Fe County farm-and-ranch community of Stanley, King decided in seventh grade to be governor of New Mexico. The story of how he accomplished that goal-three times!-plays out against the tremendous transformations occurring in the society, culture, politics, and business of New Mexico since World War II. When King won his first Santa Fe County Commission seat in 1954 at age 29, running for office was a down-home affair. Politics was personal. But as he served in office and climbed the political ladder toward his lifelong ambition, New Mexico changed. The state's population shifted away from the rural communities to the rapidly expanding cities, while the once-dominant agricultural interests in the legislature yielded to the emerging urban voting blocs. Meanwhile, the challenges of governing grew ever more complex. King's well-recognized skills of mediation and conciliation helped him lead the state through a time of often-bewildering change. This book is rich with colorful stories as King recalls the major events of his career and conveys the human side of campaigning, governing, political deal-making, and sparring with the press. He also talks about his friendships and encounters with many of the leading national and state political figures of our time, including President Bill Clinton, President Ronald Reagan, President Jimmy Carter, Senator Pete Domenici, and then Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. A classic tale of political intuitions spiced by New Mexico flavor as unique as Hatch green chile, "Cowboy in the Roundhouse" is lively reading. As famed mystery writer Tony Hillerman writes in his introduction to the book, "While I count myself among the many who wanted Bruce King to write an autobiography, I doubt if any of us had much hope he'd get around to doing it. Now he has and it's even better than we'd expected." **8 Charles Poling is a journalist and author who could not remember a time when Bruce King was not governor. Poling writes fiction and true stories about the history, business, politics and daily life of New Mexico. He currently makes his home in Placitas, where the past, present, and future blend together and resonate with the peculiar harmony and dissonance known as New Mexico.

Bruce King towers over the political landscape of New Mexico in the last half of the twentieth century. Born the son of a homesteader in the tiny Santa Fe County farm-and-ranch community of Stanley, King decided in seventh grade to be governor of New Mexico. The story of how he accomplished that goal-three times!-plays out against the tremendous transformations occurring in the society, culture, politics, and business of New Mexico since World War II. When King won his first Santa Fe County Commission seat in 1954 at age 29, running for office was a down-home affair. Politics was personal. But as he served in office and climbed the political ladder toward his lifelong ambition, New Mexico changed. The state's population shifted away from the rural communities to the rapidly expanding cities, while the once-dominant agricultural interests in the legislature yielded to the emerging urban voting blocs. Meanwhile, the challenges of governing grew ever more complex. King's well-recognized skills of mediation and conciliation helped him lead the state through a time of often-bewildering change. This book is rich with colorful stories as King recalls the major events of his career and conveys the human side of campaigning, governing, political deal-making, and sparring with the press. He also talks about his friendships and encounters with many of the leading national and state political figures of our time, including President Bill Clinton, President Ronald Reagan, President Jimmy Carter, Senator Pete Domenici, and Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. A classic tale of political intuitions spiced by New Mexico flavor as unique as Hatch green chile, Cowboy in the Roundhouse is lively reading. As famed mystery writer Tony Hillerman writes in his introduction to the book, 'While I count myself among the many who wanted Bruce King to write an autobiography, I doubt if any of us had much hope he'd get around to doing it. Now he has and it's even better than we'd expected.'

Governors - both in, and now out of, office - see the job as the best in politics. Why is that? This title shows students how and why governors succeed as policy leaders and makes a case as to why some governors are better at leveraging the institutional advantages of the office.

Weather in San Antonio can be anywhere from nasty to fantastic, but this day was better than fantastic as Johnny Devreau walked toward the cattle barns. The weather reminded him of some nice days he had seen in Hawaii, only cooler. He was at the Joe Freeman Coliseum for the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo, an annual ten-day affair. It seemed everyone, male and female, young and old, was wearing the same thingLevis, cowboy boots, and a western-style shirtand most had a western-style hat. This was standard everyday wear for Devreau. The Saturday rodeo matinee was just over, and the standing room crowd was spilling out of the coliseum in every which direction, or so it seemed. It made getting to where Devreau wanted to be slowgoing.

Extraordinary people lead extraordinary lives and, from the beginning, even before he had any control over his life, John Meigs’ life was extraordinary: kidnapped by his father, never to see his mother again. Once on his own, he tried his hand as a reporter in Los Angeles in 1936, and then in Honolulu, where he got drawn into the art world, becoming one of the original designers of the Hawaiian aloha shirts. Those pursuits were interrupted with the onset of World War II and John’s enlistment in the Navy. After a serendipitous escape of death and military duty in Florida, John returned to Hawaii, where he met New Mexico artist Peter Hurd. That encounter led John to New Mexico and to interactions with a wide variety of notable people, including painters Andrew Wyeth and Georgia O’Keeffe, poet Witter Bynner, oilman and cattleman Robert O. Anderson, and actor Vincent Price. With the notable artist Rolf Armstrong, of “pin-up girl” calendar fame, John traveled to Paris in 1952 where his off-beat nature led him to Alice B. Toklas. After returning to New Mexico, numerous opportunities knocked on John’s door, beckoning him in different directions all at the same time. In 1979, his travels led to a particularly significant development in John’s life when he picked up a hitchhiker, who became a complicated fixture in his life as both a sidekick and a love object. Meig’s fascinating life continued to unfold, garnering attention and impacting those close to him. As can happen, though, even with the most accomplished and creative, eventually, a sad, slow mental decline set in.

In this forthright account of the workings of New Mexico's legislature, Dede Feldman reveals how the work of governing is actually accomplished.

Nebraska's Cowboy Line existed for nearly 125 years and covered more than 400 miles as it made its way across the northern portion of the state. The construction of the rail line, which started in 1869, was the impetus for the establishment of many towns, and even the relocation of some, along the route. The line was employed to transport miners to the Black Hills during the gold rush of the late 1800s, it carried thousands of Irish and German immigrants to the largely unsettled area, and it allowed politicians to meet their constituents. It also was used to deliver necessities, amusements, technology, and new innovations to the state's citizenry.

This question-and-answer book contains 400 reminders of what is known and what is sometimes forgotten or misunderstood about a city that was founded more than 400 years ago. Not a traditional history book, this group of questions is presented in an apparently random order, and the answers occasionally meander off topic, as if part of a casual conversation.