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George Curry | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico'sat-large district | |
| In office January 8, 1912 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | 2nd seat established |
| Succeeded by | 2nd seat abolished |
| 17thGovernor 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 | George Alexander Curry (1861-04-03)April 3, 1861 |
| Died | November 27, 1947(1947-11-27) (aged 86) Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Occupation | politician |
George Alexander Curry (April 3, 1861 – November 27, 1947) was aU.S. military officer and politician. He was governor ofNew Mexico Territory from 1907 to 1910, and once it became a state he represented it in the62nd United States Congress.Curry County, New Mexico, is named in his honor.
He was born inBayou Sara,[1]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 localKu Klux Klan, and in 1870 he was ambushed and killed. Three years later Curry's mother moved the family toDodge 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 toLincoln 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.[2] He acted as post trader atFort Stanton, and engaged in the mercantile and stock business until 1886.
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.[2] 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 theSpanish–American War he served inTheodore Roosevelt'sRough Riders. He did not see action inCuba, but did participate in the fighting in thePhilippines.
After returning from the war, he became sheriff ofOtero 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 ofAmbos Camarines in 1901, the chief of police ofManila for the remainder of 1901, thegovernor of Isabela from 1903 to 1905, and thegovernor of Samar from 1905 to 1907.
He served as the 18th Governor ofNew Mexico Territory from 1907 to 1910,[3] and upon the admission ofNew Mexico as a State into the Union was elected as aRepublican to theSixty-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 inSocorro, New Mexico, was private secretary toUS SenatorHolm O. Bursum in 1921 and 1922, and was a member of theInternational Boundary Commission from 1922 to 1927. In April 1932, he was falsely reported to have died inHillsboro; Curry's son Clifford unsuccessfully sued theAlbuquerque Journal for causing a heart attack upon reading the story in the newspaper.[4] After retiring, Curry moved to a ranch nearCutter, and served as State Historian from 1945 until his death inAlbuquerque on November 27, 1947, with interment in theSanta Fe National Cemetery.Curry County, New Mexico, was named in his honor.
On March 24, 1906, during thePulahan Campaign as Governor ofSamar, 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 inMapanas. For the negotiations the army garrison was replaced by aconstabulary 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[5]
"in your operations outside the towns and barrios you may kill anyone you have reason to [believe] a pulahan'; those who were members of the 'Magtaon band' were to be 'exterminated'"[5]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Governor ofAmbos Camarines 1901 | Succeeded by James Ross |
| Preceded by Francisco Dichoso | Governor of Isabela 1903–1905 | Succeeded by Blas Villamor |
| Preceded by Segundo Singzon | Governor of Samar 1905–1907 | Succeeded by Maximo Cinco |
| Preceded by | Governor of New Mexico Territory 1907–1910 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| New seat | Representative from New Mexico 1912–1913 | 2nd seat eliminated |
| U.S. Military Admin(1846–1851) |  | |
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| State(since 1912) | ||
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