Tom Bolack
| Tom Bolack | |
|---|---|
| 20th Governor of New Mexico | |
|
In office November 30, 1962 – January 1, 1963 |
|
| Lieutenant | Vacant |
| Preceded by | Edwin L. Mechem |
| Succeeded by | Jack M. Campbell |
| 18th Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico | |
|
In office January 1, 1961 – November 30, 1962 |
|
| Governor | Edwin L. Mechem |
| Preceded by | Ed V. Mead |
| Succeeded by | Mack Easley |
| Member of the New Mexico House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1956–1958 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 18, 1918 Cowley County, Kansas |
| Died | May 20, 1998 (aged 80) Farmington, New Mexico |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Alice Schwerdtfeger |
| Residence | Farmington |
| Profession | Oilman |
| Religion | Methodism |
Thomas Felix "Tom" Bolack (May 18, 1918 – May 20, 1998) was a New Mexico businessman and politician, who served as the 20th Governor of New Mexico for 32 days in 1962–63.
Bolack was a self-educated oilman who learned geology from correspondence courses. He was also a rancher and owner of the Albuquerque Dukes minor-league baseball team from 1956 to 1963.
Bolack was Mayor of Farmington, New Mexico from 1952 to 1954 and a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 1956 to 1958. In 1957 he unsuccessfully ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives, losing soundly to Joseph Montoya.
In 1960, Bolack was elected Lieutenant Governor by a margin of 279 votes, becoming the first Republican lieutenant governor in New Mexico since 1928. That Bolack, an "Anglo" (or New Mexican not of Spanish or Indian descent), was able to defeat a candidate with Spanish ancestry in statewide elections was seen as one of several signs of the decline of the influence of long-time United States Senator Dennis Chavez. Democrats challenged the narrow victory, on the basis that some voters on Navajo reservations should have been required to vote outside of their reservations, but the New Mexico Supreme Court ruled in Bolack's favor.
Governor Edwin L. Mechem was defeated in his bid for re-election and, when he resigned on November 30, 1962, Bolack became governor, serving the remainder of Mechem's term. Bolack, in his first act as governor, appointed Mechem to fill the vacancy in the United States Senate caused by the recent death of Dennis Chavez. Bolack served as governor until newly elected Governor Jack M. Campbell was sworn in on January 1, 1963.
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