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Joe Skeen | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Harold L. Runnels |
| Succeeded by | Steve Pearce |
| Chair of theRepublican Party of New Mexico | |
| In office 1962–1965 | |
| Member of theNew Mexico Senate | |
| In office 1960–1970 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1927-06-30)June 30, 1927 Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Died | December 7, 2003(2003-12-07) (aged 76) Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Texas A&M University |
| Occupation | rancher, politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Years of service | 1945–1946 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Joseph Richard Skeen (June 30, 1927 – December 7, 2003) was an American politician who served as a congressman from southernNew Mexico. AconservativeRepublican, he served for eleven terms in theUnited States House of Representatives between 1981 and 2003.
Skeen was born inRoswell, New Mexico. During his teenage years, his family moved toSeattle. During the final year ofWorld War II, Skeen entered theUnited States Navy. After returning home, he graduated fromTexas A&M University inCollege Station, Texas.
Incumbent Five-termDemocratic CongressmanHarold Runnels was renominated in the Democratic primary and was set to be unopposed in the general election, after the Republican party failed to nominate any candidate. Runnels suddenly died ofcancer on August 5, 1980, at the age of fifty-six. Thestate attorney general published an advisory opinion that the Democrats could replace Runnels on the ballot, as he had been nominated in the primary, but Republicans could not, as no candidate had filed in the preceding primary election. Republicans coalesced behind a write-in effort by Skeen, while the Democrats selected GovernorBruce King's nephew,David King, over Runnels' widow, Dorothy Runnels. Runnels decided to run her own write-in campaign after failing to be selected by the Democratic Party. Skeen was elected with 61,564 votes (38 percent) to King's 55,085 (34 percent), and Runnels' 45,343 (28 percent). He was helped by the splitting of the Democratic vote between King and Runnels, as well asRonald Reagancarrying the district. Skeen was only the third person inU.S. history to be elected toCongress as a write-in candidate.[1][2]
As a congressman, Skeen had a largely conservative voting record but also brought numerous projects to his district. In contrast to most congressmen, Skeen faced several competitive races for reelection.[citation needed] After skating to reelection from 1982 to 1990, including two completely unopposed bids in1988 and1990, he faced aggressive Democratic challenges for most of the 1990s.[citation needed]
He announced in 1997 that he hadParkinson's disease. Skeen announced hisretirement from Congress in 2002 and left at the end of his 11th term in 2003. At the time of his death in 2003, he was highly regarded by New Mexicans in both parties for his service to his state.[3][4]
On October 10, 2002, Skeen voted in favor of authorizing theinvasion of Iraq.[5]
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of New Mexico 1974,1978 | Succeeded by John Irick |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's 2nd congressional district January 3, 1981 – January 3, 2003 | Succeeded by |
| Territorial (1851–1912) |
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| At-large seats (1912–1969) |
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| Districts (1969–present) (3rd district established in 1983) |
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