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‘Uncle Ben’ Pankey Beloved Public Nan Died at Santa FeBenjamin P. Pankey, known all over the southwest, and one of the most popular men ever known In New .Mexico, died at a sanatarium at San ta Pe last Saturday night, after a few weeks' illness of stomach trouble. Air. Puukey was serving his second term as state land eommis sioner, having been re-elected last tall for the second term. He Is said to be the third land commissioner to die in office—the others being Rob ert P. Ervien and Justiniano Baca.Mr. Pankey was a welcome visitor to Alamogordo and Otero county many times, and indeed he met a few who had been ueighbors and frieuds elsewhere. Cbaa. E. Mitchell, witb whom he always stopped while iu Alamogordo, was an old neighbor iu Illinois. “Uncle Ben” almost invwr-lably called upon the printers when In town, and his quaint, droll humor and sunshiny presence was always appreciated.The character sketches being pub-lislied'oboul him since his demise are interesting and are a wonderful tribute to bis lovable character. Among them the Santa Pe New Alexican has about the best and tin* following are i few excerpts:111 lor Some Time .Mr Paukey bad been in poor health fur some lime, and for years had su( fered with rheumatism, lie had tried various diets and cures He was auch a large man physically and so addicted to Joking about bis own dimensions. that no one took him seriously a month ago at Uarlabad Cavern Highway association meeting when he an id he was there for his health. The news of his death will • oiiie ms a surprise and shock to most New Mexicans who did not realize ihat as a mailer of fact his health laid been aeriously undermined.A Picturesque Career Benjamin Franklin Paukey goes down iu New Mexico history as having been the largest land owner and renter of laud in the state—that la to say, a few years ago; as a simple .artner who was able to beat the great telephone combine iu a telephone war in Kansas; as the campaign orator ho in ado the brtefiest of brief speeches and always got a laugh also votes for his consideration of a tired and oratory asphyxiated audi ; as the manufacturer of qiiaiut sayings; as the man who once was rated a millionaire and lost practically all of his fortune, only to rejoice, exclaiming; “Thank God. I am poor —nobody bottlers me bow!Ills Career at a Glance Pankey’a career at n glance is as follows:| Horn in Harrisburg, Illinois, Aug.10. Util Of French parentage.Education: Public schools of Harrisburg. HI Married in Junuary, 1880.Had a family of five grown daughters ami one sou; one of his daughters died several years ago.lie moved to Topeka, Kansas In 1882.Engaged in ranching and cattle raisingIu 1 HO 1, for some reason not ex plained in biographies of the famous westerner, Pankey engaged in the telephone business in Topeka, opposing the Bell system. A telephone war nged; iu 1H07 Paukey, according to his friends, won out and sold his Interests at a good profit.Witb the money be emulated tbe example of William Jennings Bryau tiiid “bought land. He purchased in large quantities; one purchase was :i 10,000 acre ranch near Kmporla, Kansas, home of the fununia writer, William Allen White; the other was 81,000 acres near Santa Pe, New Mexico.He moved to New Mexico about 180S and was quoted us telling some friends that he would engage in politics because he believed that “a politician on the right side of the fence in New .Mexico ut this time cun al letse get Justice about his taxes.He said he always voted the Republican ticket.He declared that he received 9f fier cent of the voteH cast In six precincts in his section of Bantu Pe county when lie ran us a delegate to u tl. O P convention.Elected to first state senate from the Tenth district of New MexicoElected lieutenant governor of New Mexico when Governor Earrnzoxo he came chief executive.Elected state land eomuiisaloner in 1H26; re-elected in 1928. with Dick Union as governor oach time.Was 32nd degree Muson, also u Knight Templar and an ElkProminent us a Baptist and is said to linve given $10,000 to the building of tlie Baptist church In Santa Pe and other large sums to Baptist churches and schools throughout the country.
Newspaper Details
Alamogordo News
Alamogordo, New Mexico, US
Thu, Jun 06, 1929
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Nick N.
NA, 08 Nov 2024
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