{"id":9334,"date":"2009-11-13T09:38:38","date_gmt":"2009-11-13T16:38:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=9334"},"modified":"2009-11-15T21:23:55","modified_gmt":"2009-11-16T04:23:55","slug":"former-gov-bruce-king-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2009\/11\/former-gov-bruce-king-dies\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Gov. Bruce King dies at 85"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Bruce

Bruce King, left, is shown here in Las Cruces in 2008 with U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd. (Photo by Heath Haussamen)<\/p><\/div>\n

Former Gov. Bruce King<\/a> \u2013 often called the \u201ccowboy governor\u201d \u2013 died this morning. He was 85.<\/p>\n

\u201cBruce King would be the first one to tell us all that death is just another phase in the cycle of life and that we must go on with our lives, trying to do the best we can while helping others make their way too,\u201d said his son, Attorney General Gary King<\/a>, in a prepared statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of us in the family thought this day would come so soon after we lost my mom, Alice King, but we are comforted by the thought that Bruce and Alice can be together once again,\u201d Gary King said.<\/p>\n

Alice King died in December<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bruce King, a Democrat, served three, non-consecutive terms as governor — from 1971 to 1975, 1979 to 1983, and 1991 to 1995. He was with family at his ranch in Stanley when he died.<\/p>\n

His family is asking that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the New Mexico Children\u2019s Foundation<\/a>, which Alice King founded.<\/p>\n

State Sen. Mary Kay Papen<\/a>, D-Las Cruces, said she was saddened to learn of Bruce King\u2019s death. Her late husband and the former governor were close friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was called the cowboy governor, and there\u2019s something to the honesty, and the straightforwardness, and the friendliness that the cowboy brings,\u201d Papen said. \u201cI think he epitomized that.\u201d<\/p>\n

King was born in 1924 in Stanley. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He got his start in politics in 1954, serving two terms as a county commissioner in Santa Fe.<\/p>\n

In 1959, he won a state House seat. He served five terms as a state representative \u2013 three of them as House speaker.<\/p>\n

King also served as chairman of the state Democratic Party.<\/p>\n

\u201cBruce King will always be one of our greatest New Mexicans,\u201d U.S. Rep. Martin Heinrich<\/a>, D-N.M., said in a news release. \u201cGovernor King\u00a0was so kind, and he served the state in so many ways.\u00a0 He will truly be missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to his son Gary, King is survived by another son, Bill; his brothers, Sam and Don; and other family members.<\/p>\n

Update, 9:45 a.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an undated photo of Bruce and Alice King released by Gary King\u2019s office:<\/p>\n

\"Bruce<\/p>\n

Update, 9:55 a.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor King\u2019s service has been widely credited as a driving force of modernization within the State of New Mexico, and his legacy of service to the Democratic Party\u00a0is only overshadowed by his love of New Mexico and his service to its citizens,\u201d current state Democratic Party Chairman Javier Gonzales said. \u201cWhether Democrat, Republican or independent, today is a day of mourning for all New Mexicans.\u00a0We remember Governor King and his family in our thoughts and prayers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Update, 10 a.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gov. Bill Richardson<\/a> has ordered that flags be flows at half staff \u201cuntil further notice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor Bruce King\u2019s death leaves a huge void in our state,\u201d Richardson said in a release. \u201cBruce King was an innovative, far-sighted governor who knew the state better than any living New Mexican. He was as genuine and colorful as his cowboy boots. I can just hear him say, \u2018Mighty fine,\u2019 as he shook another hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Update, 11:15 a.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman<\/a>, D-N.M., said King \u201cwas as dedicated and successful a\u00a0public servant\u00a0as\u00a0New Mexico\u00a0has ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI first got to know him when he was president of New Mexico\u2019s constitutional convention, and I was assigned by the\u00a0New Mexico attorney\u00a0general\u2019s office to work with him,\u201d Bingaman said. \u201cMy respect for him was firmly established at that time and only grew in subsequent years, particularly during the time of his second term as governor when I was serving as attorney general. Anne and I became close friends with Bruce and Alice and remained so for decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cBruce was a public servant whose integrity was never questioned and who always did the right thing for New Mexico,\u201d he said. \u201cAs a result of his love for our state and the people who live here, he was great friends with many thousands of New Mexicans, and he will be missed by all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n<\/a>, D-N.M., said this:<\/p>\n

\u201cLast night we lost a great man and a true champion for the people of\u00a0New Mexico. Governor Bruce King and his wife Alice served our state honorable and proudly.\u00a0Governor King\u00a0was a true asset to the state and a\u00a0role model\u00a0for many.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor King was a governor of the people. He was always approachable, and he always reached out to the people of New Mexico with an open hand. Throughout his entire tenure in public service he remembered his roots and the people he served. He was a dear friend of my family and someone I deeply admired.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Update, 12 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall<\/a>, D-N.M., said King \u201cwas a gentle political giant with a heart of gold.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Alice by his side, he dedicated his entire life to serving\u00a0New Mexico, and together they instilled the same values in their children,\u201d Udall said. \u201cI will always remember Bruce as true cowboy from Stanley who had the most generous spirit and always saw the best in people.\u00a0In every level of government that he served New Mexico over several decades, Bruce King accomplished many great things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI personally learned a lot from his work and was happy to have him by my side once again at a backyard barbeque in\u00a0Moriarty just last year,\u201d Udall said. \u201cJill and I could always count on Bruce and Alice\u2019s friendship, and their entire family is in our thoughts and prayers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish<\/a> said this:<\/p>\n

\u201cBruce King is and always will be a\u00a0New Mexico\u00a0icon, a man larger than life whose spirit cannot be measured. He was a family friend, my teacher, my mentor and most truly New Mexico\u2019s cowboy in the Roundhouse. He was my father\u2019s friend, and our families shared many years and memories together in public service.<\/p>\n

\u201cBruce was one of those people whose presence changed a room. As soon as he walked in, his spirit seemed to expand until the room was filled with it, and everywhere you looked, you saw that glittering smile, and a hand held out in friendship, and the greeting that countless New Mexicans have heard coming from him: \u201cHow ya doin?\u2019\u201d\u00a0 And the thing of it is that he meant it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I say goodbye to our cowboy in the Roundhouse, Governor\u00a0Bruce King, I will always remember his example, his legacy and his warmth.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Update, 12:05 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to see some photos NMPolitics.net\u2019s Peter St. Cyr took of Bruce King in August.<\/p>\n

Update, 12:50 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Harry Teague<\/a>, D-N.M., said this:<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor King\u2019s service to our nation and our state should never be forgotten.\u00a0 As a\u00a0county commissioner,\u00a0speaker of the House\u00a0and as governor, he was one of those unique public officials who never forgot where he came from. He listened sincerely to the needs and concerns of his constituents and then got to work addressing those issues because he cared deeply about his\u00a0home state of New Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing I learned from Bruce King was how important it is to stay in touch with the people you represent.\u00a0In fact, I first met the governor in the steer barn at the Lea County Fair. And over the years, it seemed that you would run across the governor shaking hands at nearly every Fair in\u00a0New Mexico.<\/p>\n

\u201cBruce King took so many of the wishes of the people from our state and made them a reality. His contributions to our state will last for decades to come. My thoughts and prayers are with the\u00a0King family\u00a0today.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UPDATED: Former Gov. Bruce King \u2013 often called the \u201ccowboy governor\u201d \u2013 died this morning. He was 85. Gov. Bill Richardson ordered that flags be flown at half staff and called King “an innovative, far-sighted governor who knew the state better than any living New Mexican.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1],"tags":[107],"class_list":["post-9334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","category-uncategorized","tag-roundhouse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9334\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}