Santa Fe Ring
Encyclopedia
The Santa Fe Ring was a group of powerful attorneys
and land speculators in the United States during the late 19th century and into the early 20th century. It amassed a fortune through political corruption and fraudulent land deals. Many prominent people in New Mexico Territory
including future Senator and Secretary of War Stephen Benton Elkins
were implicated. The ring figured into Lincoln County War
and Colfax County War, which involved a dispute over evicting squatters on the Maxwell Land Grant
.
The ring name was applied to almost all Republican
state-wide politicians in the state capital in Santa Fe, New Mexico
who had near total control of the state during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were said to turn a blind eye to or were actively involved in corruption. The most infamous period involving the ring was in the 1870s when ownership of huge Spanish land grant
s was sorted out.
Members were accused of selling land to farmers new to the area, which in fact was not actually owned by the sellers. They were said to obtain government contracts to supply beef to American Indian
s on reservations
, obtaining the contracts through corrupt political contacts, but with them supplying either less beef than the contract called for, or a poor quality of meat, often spoiled.
Businessman and former soldier Lawrence Murphy
became a key figure in the ring during the 1860s, alongside partner Emil Fritz, forming "L.G. Murphy & Co." in 1866.
Murphy and Fritz were able to obtain false deed
s to land, then sold that land, not actually owned by them, to newly arriving farmers and ranchers. When payments were missed, Murphy and Fritz would foreclose on the land, cattle, or crops. Within a very short time they were wealthy men. During that same period they acquired government contracts to supply beef and vegetables to Apache
Indians living on the Reservation, which they typically did not supply, at least not in the quantities called for in the contracts. However, protected by their political contacts who also were tied into the ring, complaints by the Indians went with little notice or attention.
In 1869, Murphy hired James Dolan
to work as a clerk for his company. Murphy's business, located in Lincoln, New Mexico
, very quickly became the only supplier to local ranchers and farmers, with Murphy, Fritz, Dolan and businessman John H. Riley developing it into a monopoly
. Due to them having no competition, they were able to charge high prices for their goods, which angered many in the area. By 1877, with the backing of wealthy rancher John Chisum
, rancher John Tunstall
and businessman Alexander McSween
opened rival businesses, which enraged Murphy and Dolan. Murphy by this time was in the first stages of cancer, but remained involved in the decision making for his business.
He, Dolan and Riley hired the Jesse Evans Gang and the John Kinney Gang
, both outlaw
gangs of the time, to serve the purpose of goading Tunstall into a fight. Both gangs began rustling Tunstall's cattle, and to counter them Tunstall hired numerous small-scale ranchers and cowboys as body guards. Former Murphy employee Dick Brewer
would serve as Tunstall's foreman, with gunmen Doc Scurlock, Charlie Bowdre
, and ranchers Frank Coe
and George Coe
rounding out the group. Frank McNab
would also hire on, as would Billy the Kid
and Ab Saunders.
This set the stage for what would become known as the Lincoln County War, sparked by the February 18, 1878 murder of Tunstall by Jesse Evans and members of his gang, which led to the Tunstall faction forming the Lincoln County Regulators
, and going through February 18, 1879, when Evans murdered attorney Huston Chapman, who was representing Susan McSween
's interests on behalf of her dead husband and the Regulators. By September 1877, Murphy had died from cancer.
New Mexico Territorial Representative Juan Patron became an advocate of Susan McSween, becoming involved as opposition to the ring following the murders of two local Hispanic
businessmen in Lincoln County
. On April 9, 1884, Patron was shot and killed by cowboy Michael Maney in Puerto de Luna, after having received numerous threats due to his opposition to the Santa Fe Ring. Maney was arrested, and stood trial represented by several prominent attorneys. The prosecutor
in the case was Santa Fe Ring member Thomas B. Catron
, and the result was that Maney was acquitted. Catron was tightly allied with Albert Fall who would be implicated in the Teapot Dome scandal
.
According to legend the rerouting of U.S. Route 66
to avoid Santa Fe and instead pass through Albquerque was done at the behest of Democratic Governor Arthur T. Hannett
to punish the ring.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and land speculators in the United States during the late 19th century and into the early 20th century. It amassed a fortune through political corruption and fraudulent land deals. Many prominent people in New Mexico Territory
New Mexico Territory
thumb|right|240px|Proposed boundaries for State of New Mexico, 1850The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of...
including future Senator and Secretary of War Stephen Benton Elkins
Stephen Benton Elkins
Stephen Benton Elkins was an American industrialist and political figure. He served as the Secretary of War between 1891 and 1893...
were implicated. The ring figured into Lincoln County War
Lincoln County War
The Lincoln County War was a 19th-century range war between two factions during the Old West period. Numerous notable figures of the American West were involved, including Billy the Kid, aka William Henry McCarty; sheriffs William Brady and Pat Garrett; cattle rancher John Chisum, lawyer and...
and Colfax County War, which involved a dispute over evicting squatters on the Maxwell Land Grant
Maxwell Land Grant
The Maxwell Land Grant, also known as the Beaubien-Miranda Land Grant, was a Mexican land grant in Colfax County, New Mexico and part of adjoining Las Animas County, Colorado. This land grant was one of the largest contiguous private landholdings in the history of the United States...
.
The ring name was applied to almost all Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
state-wide politicians in the state capital in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
who had near total control of the state during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and were said to turn a blind eye to or were actively involved in corruption. The most infamous period involving the ring was in the 1870s when ownership of huge Spanish land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
s was sorted out.
Members were accused of selling land to farmers new to the area, which in fact was not actually owned by the sellers. They were said to obtain government contracts to supply beef to American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
s on reservations
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
, obtaining the contracts through corrupt political contacts, but with them supplying either less beef than the contract called for, or a poor quality of meat, often spoiled.
Businessman and former soldier Lawrence Murphy
Lawrence Murphy
Lawrence Murphy was an Irish-American businessman of the Old West, and a main instigator of the Lincoln County War.-Early life:...
became a key figure in the ring during the 1860s, alongside partner Emil Fritz, forming "L.G. Murphy & Co." in 1866.
Murphy and Fritz were able to obtain false deed
Deed
A deed is any legal instrument in writing which passes, or affirms or confirms something which passes, an interest, right, or property and that is signed, attested, delivered, and in some jurisdictions sealed...
s to land, then sold that land, not actually owned by them, to newly arriving farmers and ranchers. When payments were missed, Murphy and Fritz would foreclose on the land, cattle, or crops. Within a very short time they were wealthy men. During that same period they acquired government contracts to supply beef and vegetables to Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
Indians living on the Reservation, which they typically did not supply, at least not in the quantities called for in the contracts. However, protected by their political contacts who also were tied into the ring, complaints by the Indians went with little notice or attention.
In 1869, Murphy hired James Dolan
James Dolan (Lincoln County War)
James Dolan was an Old West businessman, cattleman, and a key factor in the Lincoln County War, in New Mexico, which launched Billy the Kid to fame.-Early life and Murphy association:...
to work as a clerk for his company. Murphy's business, located in Lincoln, New Mexico
Lincoln, New Mexico
Lincoln is an unincorporated community in Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States, located approximately 57 miles west of Roswell and just south of the Lincoln National Forest. The town had a population of about 800 in 1888, and Main Street has been beautifully preserved by current residents....
, very quickly became the only supplier to local ranchers and farmers, with Murphy, Fritz, Dolan and businessman John H. Riley developing it into a monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
. Due to them having no competition, they were able to charge high prices for their goods, which angered many in the area. By 1877, with the backing of wealthy rancher John Chisum
John Chisum
John Simpson Chisum was a wealthy cattle baron in the American West in the mid-to-late 19th century. Born in Hardeman County, Tennessee, Chisum's family moved to Texas in 1837, with Chisum finding work as a building contractor...
, rancher John Tunstall
John Tunstall
John Henry Tunstall , born in England, became a rancher and merchant in New Mexico, where he became a prominent figure and was the first man killed in the Lincoln County War, an economic and political conflict perhaps compounded by ethnic rivalries.-Early life and education:John Henry Tunstall was...
and businessman Alexander McSween
Alexander McSween
Alexander McSween was a prominent figure during the Lincoln County War of the Old West, and a central character, alongside John Tunstall, opposing the "Murphy-Dolan Faction".-Early life:...
opened rival businesses, which enraged Murphy and Dolan. Murphy by this time was in the first stages of cancer, but remained involved in the decision making for his business.
He, Dolan and Riley hired the Jesse Evans Gang and the John Kinney Gang
John Kinney Gang
The John Kinney Gang, also known as the Rio Grande Posse, was an outlaw gang of the old West, which operated during the mid-1870s into the mid-1880s....
, both outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
gangs of the time, to serve the purpose of goading Tunstall into a fight. Both gangs began rustling Tunstall's cattle, and to counter them Tunstall hired numerous small-scale ranchers and cowboys as body guards. Former Murphy employee Dick Brewer
Richard Brewer
Richard M. "Dick" Brewer , was an American cowboy and outlaw. He was the first leader of what historically is referred to as Billy the Kid's band, although Billy never led them.-Early life:...
would serve as Tunstall's foreman, with gunmen Doc Scurlock, Charlie Bowdre
Charlie Bowdre
Charles Bowdre was an American cowboy and outlaw. He was an associate and member of Billy the Kid's gang.-Early life:...
, and ranchers Frank Coe
Frank Coe (Lincoln County War)
Frank Coe was an Old West cowboy and for a time gunman in the company of Billy the Kid, as a member of the Lincoln County Regulators.-Biography:...
and George Coe
George Coe (Lincoln County War)
George Washington Coe was an Old West cowboy and for a time gunman alongside Billy the Kid during the Lincoln County War.Coe was born in Missouri, and ventured to New Mexico Territory in his youth, around 1871, alongside his cousin, Frank, to work on a ranch near Fort Stanton belonging to a...
rounding out the group. Frank McNab
Frank McNab
Frank McNab was a member of the Regulators who fought on behalf of John Tunstall during the Lincoln County War.Of Scottish origin, McNab was a "cattle detective" who worked for Hunter, Evans, & Company, which was managed by New Mexico cattleman John Chisum. McNab's job was to track down those who...
would also hire on, as would Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
and Ab Saunders.
This set the stage for what would become known as the Lincoln County War, sparked by the February 18, 1878 murder of Tunstall by Jesse Evans and members of his gang, which led to the Tunstall faction forming the Lincoln County Regulators
Lincoln County Regulators
The Lincoln County Regulators was a deputized posse in Lincoln County, New Mexico during the Lincoln County War, consisting of a dozen or so members who wanted revenge for the killing of their boss, John Tunstall...
, and going through February 18, 1879, when Evans murdered attorney Huston Chapman, who was representing Susan McSween
Susan McSween
Susan McSween was a prominent cattlewoman of the 19th century, once called the "Cattle Queen of New Mexico", and the widow of Alexander McSween, a leading factor in the Lincoln County War, and who was shot and killed by members of the Murphy-Dolan faction.-Early life, Lincoln County War:Born Susan...
's interests on behalf of her dead husband and the Regulators. By September 1877, Murphy had died from cancer.
New Mexico Territorial Representative Juan Patron became an advocate of Susan McSween, becoming involved as opposition to the ring following the murders of two local Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
businessmen in Lincoln County
Lincoln County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*85.1% White*0.5% Black*2.4% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*9.1% Other races*29.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. On April 9, 1884, Patron was shot and killed by cowboy Michael Maney in Puerto de Luna, after having received numerous threats due to his opposition to the Santa Fe Ring. Maney was arrested, and stood trial represented by several prominent attorneys. The prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
in the case was Santa Fe Ring member Thomas B. Catron
Thomas B. Catron
Thomas Benton Catron was an American politician and lawyer who was influential in the establishment of the U.S. state of New Mexico. He later represented the state in the United States Senate.-Early life:...
, and the result was that Maney was acquitted. Catron was tightly allied with Albert Fall who would be implicated in the Teapot Dome scandal
Teapot Dome scandal
The Teapot Dome Scandal was a bribery incident that took place in the United States in 1922–23, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome and two other locations to private oil companies at low...
.
According to legend the rerouting of U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
to avoid Santa Fe and instead pass through Albquerque was done at the behest of Democratic Governor Arthur T. Hannett
Arthur T. Hannett
Arthur Thomas Hannett was an American politician who rose to become the seventh Governor of New Mexico....
to punish the ring.