History of Las Vegas, (San Miguel County) New Mexico United States of America

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Biographies:

Miguel Antonio Otero, delegate, was born in Valencia, N.M., June 21, 1829; son of Vicente and Maria Gertrudes (Chavez) Otero. His brother, Antonio Jose Otero, was appointed by Gen. Stephen Kearny one of the three district judges, on the acquisition of the territory in 1846. He was educated in St. Louis, Mo., and Fishkill, N.Y.; studied law in New York city and in Missouri under Gov. Trusten Polk, and was admitted to the bar in St. Louis in 1859. He was private secretary to W. C. Lane, governor of New Mexico, 1852-53; was elected to the territorial legislature from Valencia county in 1852; declined the appointment of U.S. attorney for the territory by President Pierce in 1853; was a delegate to 34th, 35th and 36th congresses, 1855-61, and delegate to the Democratic national convention at Charleston in 1860, where he supported Stephen A. Douglas for the presidency. He served as territorial secretary from June to September, 1861, under appointment of President Lincoln, but his nomination was not confirmed by the senate. In 1864 he went to Leavenworth, Kansas, where he engaged in merchandising, and later removed with the progress of the Kansas Pacific railroad to Hays city. When the Atchison, Topeka and Santa F? road was building he followed its progressive steps to Granada, La Junta, El Mora, Otero and Las Vegas. He helped to organize the New Mexico and Southern Pacific railroad and was its first vice-president. He also organized and was the first president of the San Miguel National bank at Las Vegas in 1880; was president of the Jamez Hot Springs company, and the unsuccessful candidate for delegate to the 47th congress in 1880. He was married in St. Louis, Mo., April 2, 1857, to Mary J. Blackwood, and had four children; Page Blackwood, Miguel Antonio, Gertrude V. and Mary J. He died at Las Vegas, N.M., May 30, 1882.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

James Edward Cobb, representative, was born in Thomaston, Ga., Oct. 5, 1835; son of William A. and Jane (Macmurphy) Cobb. He was graduated from Emory college, Oxford, Ga., in 1856, was admitted to the bar and removed to Texas in 1857. He entered the Confederate army in 1861 as lieutenant in the 5th Texas regiment, with which command he served in the Army of Northern Virginia till he was made prisoner at the battle of Gettysburg. At the close of the war he located in Tuskegee, Ala., where he was elected circuit judge of the state in 1874, was re-elected in 1880, and again in 1886. He was a Democratic representative from the 5th district of Alabama in the 50th, 51st, 52nd and 53rd congresses. He was given a certificate of election to the 54th congress, but on April 21, 1896, the committee on elections awarded his seat to Albert T. Goodwyn of Robinson Springs, Ala. He died in Las Vegas, N. M., June 3, 1903.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor