James Beliven Lewis (born November 30, 1947) is an American politician from the state of New Mexico. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the State Treasurer of New Mexico from 1985–1990 and from 2006–2014.[1] To date, he is the only African American to serve as State Treasurer of New Mexico.[2]
James Lewis | |
|---|---|
| 24th and 29th Treasurer of New Mexico | |
| In office 2007–2015 | |
| Governor | Toney Anaya Garrey Carruthers |
| Preceded by | Earl Hartley |
| Succeeded by | David W. King |
| In office 1985–1991 | |
| Governor | Susana Martinez |
| Preceded by | Douglas M. Brown |
| Succeeded by | Tim Eichenberg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Beliven Lewis November 30, 1947 Roswell, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Bishop College (BS) National American University (BS) University of New Mexico (MPA) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Early life and education
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.[3] Lewis served in the United States Army for two years.[2] He later received his Master of Public Administration from the University of New Mexico.
Career
When he returned to New Mexico, he worked for the New Mexico State Personnel Office and the Public Service Career Office, specializing in minority recruitment. He then became director of the African American Studies Division under the Multi-cultural Enrichment Program.
He worked as a personnel counselor and administrator at the University of Albuquerque.[4] He later worked for the District Attorney's office as a criminal investigator. Lewis was elected Bernalillo County Treasurer 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 State Treasurer after former State Treasurer Earl Hartley pleaded guilty to misusing funds of the Western State Treasurers Association.[5] 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.[4] 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 State Land Office.[6] In April 1995, he was appointed chief clerk of the State Corporation Commission. In 1996, Lewis was appointed City 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 Mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, losing to Martin Chavez.[6] Following the election, he was appointed the City of Albuquerque's Chief Operating Officer. Lewis also served as Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Albuquerque, the highest ranking position for an African American in the history of Albuquerque's city government. He retired in 2005.
In 2006, Lewis ran again for position of state treasurer and won, serving until he was term-limited in 2014.[7] In October 2007, State Treasurer James B. Lewis was elected president of the Western State Treasurers Association. In 2014, Lewis was elected president of the National Association of Auditors, Comptrollers and State Treasurers.[8]
References
- ^ "History of New Mexico State Treasurers". nmsto.gov. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ a b Hornsby Jr., Alton (August 31, 2011). Black America: A State-by-State Historical Encyclopedia. ISBN 9780313341120.
- ^ "Candidate Bios: State Treasurer candidates James B. Lewis (D) and Jim D. Schoonover (R)". Las Cruces Sun-News. Archived from the original on October 20, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
- ^ "Fiasco Frontier: New Mexico has had decades of political scandals – colorful ones". sfreporter.com. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ a b "Lewis, James B. (James Belivan Lewis)". virginia.edu. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "Hundreds Gather for NM State Treasurer's Retirement Celebration". kob.com. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
- ^ "Treasurer James B. Lewis Named NASACT Head". nast.org. Retrieved September 23, 2015.