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Manuel Lujan Jr. | |
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| 46thUnited States Secretary of the Interior | |
| In office February 3, 1989 – January 20, 1993 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Donald P. Hodel |
| Succeeded by | Bruce Babbitt |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1989 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas G. Morris (redistricted) |
| Succeeded by | Steven Schiff |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Manuel Archibald Lujan Jr. (1928-05-12)May 12, 1928 |
| Died | April 25, 2019(2019-04-25) (aged 90) Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jean Lujan |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent |
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| Relatives | Michelle Lujan Grisham (second cousin, twice removed) |
| Education | College of Santa Fe (BA) |
Manuel Archibald Lujan Jr. (May 12, 1928 – April 25, 2019) was an American politician fromNew Mexico who sat in theU.S. House of Representatives as aRepublican from 1969 to 1989 and was theUnited States secretary of the interior from 1989 to 1993. He was a colleague ofGeorge H. W. Bush in the House from 1969 to 1971. In 1989, President Bush named Lujan to his cabinet.
Lujan was born inSan Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, into the family ofManuel A. Lujan Sr. and Lorenzita (née Romero) Lujan. His father wasMayor of Santa Fe and was an unsuccessful candidate for governor and congress. Lujan attended Catholic schools in Santa Fe. He attendedSaint Mary's College of California in 1946 and graduated from theSt. Michael's College in Santa Fe in 1950.[1][a]
After college, Lujan went to work for the family insurance company, the Manuel Lujan Agencies, which his father had opened in 1925. TheAlbuquerque-based company remains a leading risk management and insurance firm and, in 2002, it was ranked as the most profitable of New Mexico's Hispanic-owned businesses.
Lujan also followed his father into politics, launching his first campaign with a failed bid for theNew Mexico State Senate in 1964. Three years later, he helped to found theRepublican National Hispanic Assembly.[2] Lujan's failed 1964 bid for political office was his last electoral defeat; after defeating the incumbent Rep.Thomas G. Morris in 1968, he sat in Congress for the next two decades.
Throughout the 1970s, Lujan was re-elected and built a reputation as a low-key, personablebackbencher. His legislative interests were largely in line with the western U.S. states' priorities of the time, including Indian affairs,nuclear power expansion and the opening of federal lands to commerce and recreation. In 1978, he was the first Hispanic Republican to join the recently formedCongressional Hispanic Caucus.
The 1980s brought new challenges and new prominence for Lujan. He nearly lost his seat in 1980 to an unexpectedly strong challenge from the DemocratBill Richardson. In the reapportionment that followed, Lujan's district was significantly altered after New Mexico gained a third district. The old 1st was a largely rural district that included the northeastern portion of the state, including most of Albuquerque. The new 1st was a much more compact and urban district that included three-quarters of Albuquerque.
Due to the new demographics of his district, Lujan stood down as ranking Republican of the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee and became ranking Republican of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.
In addition to his congressional duties, Lujan represented New Mexico as a delegate to everyRepublican National Convention from 1972 to 2004. In 1980, he was a featured speaker at the convention on the night delegates met to nominate a vice presidential candidate.
Beginning withRonald Reagan's inauguration in 1981, Lujan was often mentioned as a potential nominee forinterior secretary. Along withDick Cheney, he was one of the top contenders to replaceJames G. Watt following his resignation, although the position eventually went toWilliam Clark.
When the Bush transition team approached Lujan about the job in late 1988, he declined to accept it, but changed his mind only after a personal appeal from the president-elect. After the tenure of James Watt andDonald Hodel, Lujan was widely regarded as a moderate at the time of his unanimous confirmation in February 1989. His nomination faced little opposition, although some environmental groups criticized his congressional voting record (theLeague of Conservation Voters gave Lujan a 23 percent career rating).
Just months into his term, Lujan came under criticism from conservationists and the media for his hands-off approach to policy and his gaffe-prone speeches. In one oft-quoted error, he told a reporter that the federal government received royalty payments for certain mineral rights, only to later admit "I didn't know what I was talking about."
As the chairman of aWhite House task force studying offshore oil drilling, Lujan expressed his strong support for drilling off the California coast in a speech to western governors. 19 members of the California congressional delegation — all Democrats — and RepublicanGovernorPete Wilson called for Lujan to resign from the study group because he was prejudiced to one point of view but Lujan declined to step down.
As the administration point man on offshore drilling, he opposed Democratic efforts to halt the practice after theExxon Valdez oil spill in April 1989.
Although Lujan gained more respect throughout his term, he remained a lightning rod for environmentalists. In a 1990 interview, he described theEndangered Species Act as "too tough",[3] and said it may not be necessary to "save every subspecies". The Bush administration distanced itself from Lujan's position at a time when newspapers had just begun to write about the interior secretary's rebound from earlier public relations woes.
Other notable events of Lujan's term included frequent debates over thespotted owl, the construction of theWashington Commanders NFL football team stadium on federal property inWashington, D.C., and the increased regulation ofIndian casinos. Lujan generally won praise for his handling of Indian affairs, an interest he had pursued earlier while in Congress.
After leaving the Interior Department at the end of Bush's term, Lujan characterized his job as one of constant tensions. "No one is satisfied. If you do something that's pro-development, you get the environmental groups against you, and if you do something that's pro-environmental you get the industry groups after you," Lujan said in a May 9, 1993,Associated Press report. "What I tried to do — and I think I was successful in doing — was to bring a balance between the use of resources on public lands and environmental concerns."
In the waning months of his term, Lujan was frequently named as a likely candidate forGovernor of New Mexico in 1994. He squelched the rumors, saying he was "through running."
After leaving office, Lujan worked as a lobbyist and a public speaker. In 2004, he launched the Hispanic Alliance for Progress Institute, a conservative think-tank focusing on economic and "family values" issues from a Hispanic perspective.
Lujan's tenure at the Interior Department has since been commemorated with an award in his honor. Each year, the department presents the "Manuel Lujan Jr. Champion Award" to employees who exhibit "outstanding work in carrying out the department's mission". In addition, the department and itsBureau of Indian Affairs honored Lujan by dedicating the BIA's administrative building in Albuquerque with Lujan's name.[4]
Lujan's brother Edward (b. 1931) was theNew Mexico Republican Party chairman for many years and was a major influence in the development of theNational Hispanic Cultural Center.[5]
Lujan died of heart failure on April 25, 2019, in Albuquerque.[6]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's 1st congressional district 1969–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Interior and Insular Affairs Committee 1981–1985 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Science Committee 1985–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of the Interior 1989–1993 | Succeeded by |
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| Districts (1969–present) (3rd district established in 1983) |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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