Jack Daniels (politician)
Jack Daniels | |
---|---|
Member of the New Mexico House of Representatives | |
In office 1967–1970 | |
Preceded by | Ray McNeill |
Personal details | |
Born | October 23, 1923 Democratic |
Jack Daniels (October 23, 1923 – September 3, 2003) was a
In his last major election against Pete Domenici in 1972, Daniels took advantage of his name, which was similar to that of Jack Daniel's, a popular alcoholic beverage. He handed out tiny bottles of Jack Daniel's whiskey while campaigning.[1] Despite this, he still lost the election to Pete Domenici, 54% to 46%.
Early life
Daniels was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1923. His family moved to Hobbs, New Mexico, in 1937. After graduation from New Mexico Military Institute in 1943, Daniels served on the destroyer USS Walton in the Pacific theater of World War II. He returned home to join his father's insurance agency. He served on the boards of a number of community associations, and was a New Mexico state representative from 1967 to 1970. He was appointed to the New Mexico State House by Governor Jack Campbell to succeed then-deceased Representative Ray McNeill.[2]
Governor election
In 1970, Daniels entered the Democratic
Daniels ran as a moderate liberal candidate, and he became the strongest defender of the University of New Mexico throughout the campaign. Bruce King was the other moderate liberal candidate, and he and Daniels agreed on most issues, with them both supporting the University of New Mexico. However, Daniels was more vigorous in his support, constantly advertising and emphasizing that he supported the university's position, while Bruce King mostly avoided the issue.[3] On the other hand, Alexander Sceresse attacked the university, calling for law and order. The Democratic primary had above-average turnout, with 54% voting, and King beat Daniels 49%-37%, with Sceresse only getting 14% of the vote.[3] Bruce King then went on to become Governor of New Mexico.
Senate election
In 1972 New Mexico's senior U.S. senator,
Death and legacy
In his later years, Daniels was diagnosed with
His daughter, Diane Denish, served two terms as Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2010.
References
- ^ a b State democratic party holding convention saturday. The Associated Press State & Local Wire
- ^ Hodgson, G. (1994, January 7). Obituary: Thomas P. O'neill. The Independent (London), pp. 14.
- ^ a b The 1970 Election in New Mexico (in The 1970 Elections in the West). T. Phillip Wolf. The Western Political Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 2. (June, 1971), pp. 316-324.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-24. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
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