James B. Lewis: Difference between revisions

'''James Beliven Lewis''' (born November 30, 1947) is an American politician from the [[U.S. state|state]] of [[New Mexico]]. A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], he served as the [[State Treasurer of New Mexico|state treasurer of New Mexico]] from 1985–1990 and from 2006–2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nmsto.gov/history_and_authority |title=History of New Mexico State Treasurers |work=nmsto.gov |accessdate=October 14, 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919025542/http://www.nmsto.gov/history_and_authority |archivedate=September 19, 2015 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> To date, he is the only [[African American]] to serve asin Statethe Treasurer of New Mexicorole.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|last1=Hornsby Jr.|first1=Alton|title=Black America: A State-by-State Historical Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TkGMnE6g1qMC&q=James%20B.%20Lewis%20African%20American&pg=PA561|isbn=9780313341120|date=August 31, 2011}}</ref>

Lewis was born in [[Roswell, New Mexico]]. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from [[Bishop College]] and a Bachelor of Science in business administration from the [[National American University]] in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]].<ref name="sun">{{cite web|title=Candidate Bios: State Treasurer candidates James B. Lewis (D) and Jim D. Schoonover (R)|url=http://archive.lcsun-news.com/ci_16385788|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101020010101/http://archive.lcsun-news.com/ci_16385788|publisher=Las Cruces Sun-News|accessdate=23 November 2015|url-status=dead|archivedate=October 20, 2010}}</ref> Lewis served in the [[United States Army]] for two years.<ref name="books.google.com"/> He later received his [[Master of Public Administration]] from the [[University of New Mexico]].

He worked as a personnel counselor and administrator at the [[University of Albuquerque]].<ref name="socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu">{{cite web|url=http://socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu/ark:/99166/w6z90kvv|title=Lewis, James B. (James Beliven), 1947- - Social Networks and Archival Context}}</ref> He later worked for the [[DistrictBernalillo Attorney]]County district attorney's office as a [[criminal investigator]]. Lewis was elected [[Bernalillo County]] [[Treasurertreasurer]] in 1982, becoming the first [[African American]] to win a countywide election in [[New Mexico]]. He won re-election in 1984.

In December 1985, Governor [[Toney Anaya]] appointed Lewis as Statestate Treasurertreasurer after former State Treasurer Earl Hartley pleaded guilty to misusing funds of the Western State Treasurers Association.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fiasco Frontier: New Mexico has had decades of political scandals – colorful ones|url=http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-4583-fiasco-frontier.html|accessdate=September 23, 2015|work=sfreporter.com}}</ref> He completed that term and ran for a full term in 1986, becoming the first [[African American]] elected to a statewide office in New Mexico.

Governor [[Bruce King]] appointed him [[chief of staff]] in November 1990.<ref name="socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu" /> After [[Bruce King]]'s defeat in the election of 1994, Lewis served four months as acting director of the Oil, Gas, and Minerals Division of the StateNew Mexico Land Office.<ref name="virginia.edu">{{cite web|url=http://socialarchive.iath.virginia.edu/ark:/99166/w6z90kvv|title=Lewis, James B. (James Belivan Lewis) |work=virginia.edu |accessdate=September 23, 2015}}</ref> In April 1995, he was appointed chief clerk of the StateNew Mexico Corporation Commission. In 1996, Lewis was appointed [[Citycity Administrator]]administrator of [[Rio Rancho]] and later that year was appointed as head of the Office of Economic Development and Diversity at the [[United States Department of Energy]] by president [[Bill Clinton]]. He later served under [[United States Secretary of Energy]] [[Bill Richardson]].

In 2001, Lewis ran for the [[Mayormayor of Albuquerque]], [[New Mexico]], losing to [[Martin ChavezChávez]].<ref name="virginia.edu" /> Following the election, he was appointed the [[City of Albuquerque]]'s [[Chief Operating Officer]]COO. Lewis also served as [[Chiefchief Administrativeadministrative Officer]]officer for the [[Citycity of Albuquerque]], the highest -ranking position for an [[African American]] in the history of [[Albuquerque]]city's city governmenthistory. He retired in 2005.