Spring 2000 Keynote Speaker - Manuel Lujan Jr.

The Keynote Speaker for the meeting will be Manuel Lujan Jr., a member of the Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) board of directors. Mr. Lujan was a U.S. Congressman representing the State of New Mexico for 22 years and was the Secretary of the Interior under the Bush Administration for 8 years. We look forward to hearing from Mr Lujan. We'll be posting more info regarding Mr Lujan as the meeting approaches.

Background

lujan.gif (15579 bytes)A member of a prominent and politically active family who owned an insurance business in New Mexico, Manuel Luján, Jr. was born on May 12, 1928, on a small farm near the Indian Pueblo of San Ildelfonso, New Mexico. He attended parochial schools in his hometown, and graduated from St. Michael's High School in Santa Fe. After his 1950 graduation from the College of Santa Fe, Luján followed in his father's footsteps by first dedicating himself to the family insurance business and then embarking on a political career. His father served as mayor of Santa Fe and had been a candidate for both the governorship of New Mexico and Congress.

In 1964 Manuel Luján, Jr. was defeated in his election bid for the State Senate. In 1968 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico's First District. In the 1970's he was reelected with over fifty-five percent of the vote in each election, serving for twenty years and becoming the longest serving Republican from New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives. By the time he retired, he was the ranking Member on the Science, Space and Technology Committee; and the Interior and Insular Affairs Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment.

During his first term, Luján was appointed to the Mexico-United States Interparliamentary Group, which promotes dialogue between legislators of the two countries.

During his congressional career, Luján worked towards the economic development of New Mexico; he was a strong supporter of nuclear energy development, but worked towards preventing the construction of nuclear-waste facilities in New Mexico. He proposed instead using existing contaminated sites. He advocated opening federal lands to mining, grazing, logging, and recreation, and supported balanced-budget legislation. He also pushed numerous laws dealing with Native American issues, including the return of land titles to Indian Pueblos and providing financial assistance for the economic development of Indian organizations. He introduced legislation to provide income tax credits for educational tuition and supported legislation for the elderly.

In 1980 Luján faced a strong challenge from Bill Richardson, but he was able to win reelection with a slim margin. His district changed from largely rural to an almost exclusively urban constituency, most of which was concentrated in Albuquerque and employed in the aerospace and high-technology industries. Because of this change, in 1985 he gave up his ranking Republican spot on the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee for the ranking Republican spot on the Science and Technology Committee, and was one of five congressional members of the President's National Space Commission, which was in charge of developing a long term U.S. space policy.

In the 1970's and early 1980's Luján was one of the few prominent Hispanic Republicans, and he was also the only Republican member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Although he usually supported the Reagan administration, he sided with Hispanic leaders and opposed the 1986 legislation revising federal immigration laws that included the levying of sanctions against employers hiring illegal immigrants, which Hispanic leaders feared would lead to discrimination against Hispanics.

In 1989 Luján was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President George Bush, after the Reagan administration had considered him for the position a number of times. He took the oath of office on February 8, 1989. During his service he worked toward economic security through resource development, while maintaining environmental protection to ensure quality of life.

Resume

1993 – Present – MANUEL LUJAN ASSOCIATES

1989 – 1993 – United States Secretary of the Interior

1969 – 1989 – Member – United States Congress (Rep. 1st District – New Mexico)

Committee: Interior & Insular Affairs Sub-Committees – Water & Power Public Lands Indian Affairs

Committee: Science, Space & Technology Sub-Committees – Energy Research Space Research Environmental Research

Committee: Joint Committee on Atomic Energy

1950 – 1988 – Independent Insurance & Real Estate Agent Manuel Lujan Insurance Agency

1946 – 1950 – College of Santa Fe (B.A. Degree) Santa Fe, New Mexico

Former Organizations:

  • President, New Mexico Insurance Agents Association.
  • Grand Knight – 3rd & 4th Degree Knights of Columbus.
  • Asst. State Chairman – New Mexico Republican Party.
  • Member B.P.O.E. (Elks).
  • Board of Directors, Sunwest Bank, Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Member Presidents National Commission of Space.
  • Founder: Excellence in Education Scholarship Foundation.

Present Activities:

  • Board of Directors – Public Service Co. of New Mexico – Electric & Gas Utility. PNM is an electric and gas Utility serving most of the State of New Mexico.
    • Committees: Audit Committee and Corporate and Public Responsibilities Committee.
  • Board of Directors – SODAK Gaming – Rapid City, South Dakota – Distributor of Gaming Machines (Video machines, chairs, signs, etc.) on all Indian Reservations in the United States.
    • Member of Audit Committee.
  • Chairman of the Board of Directors – Bank 1st – Albuquerque, New Mexico.
  • Board of Directors – BRULE Industries – Lower Brule, South Dakota – A farming and distribution entity of the Lower Brule Indian Tribe. A division of the Lower Brule Indian Tribe in South Dakota consisting of a large farming operation, a construction company and distribution of a conditioner applied to roads, parking and airport runways to improve asphalt.
  • Chairman of the Board – Laguna Construction – A heavy construction company owned by the Laguna Indian Pueblo. A division of the Laguna Pueblo engaged in environmental remediation and heavy construction.
  • Chairman – Endowment for Excellence in Education, New Mexico - While in Congress, started a 501 © 3 Corporation to grant scholarships to residents of The First Congressional District. The endowment is now $500,000.00. Only the interest is paid out. Fifty-six (56) students now receive $500.00 per year for four (4) years.
  • Selection Committee Member – Coca Cola Scholars Foundation – Atlanta, Georgia. The Coca Cola Company provides $350,000 in Scholarships to 150 students nationwide. As members, we meet in Atlanta, Georgia, to select the top fifty (50) students.
  • Member – Archdiocese Catholic Foundation – Albuquerque, New Mexico. Archdiocese Catholic Foundation was formed by the Archbishop of Santa Fe to raise an Endowment for Church activities. Only the interest is used and depends primarily on raising funds through wills, estates, etc..
  • Associate – Manuel Lujan Insurance Agency. Manuel Lujan Insurance Agency was started by Manuel Lujan, Sr. in 1926 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 1965, established a separate Agency by the same name in Albuquerque. Today it is one of the largest Insurance Agencies in New Mexico.
  • Broker – New Mexico Real Estate Commission. Hold a Brokers License primarily involved in brokering banks.
  • Owner – Manuel Lujan Associates – Consulting on matters involving Federal Agencies.
  • Republican Party – National Committeeman for New Mexico.