Richard Charles Dillon (June 24, 1877 – January 5, 1966) was an American entrepreneur, politician and the eighth governor of New Mexico. He held the governor's office from January 1, 1927, to January 1, 1931.

Early life

Dillon was born in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, Missouri on June 24, 1877. His early education was attained in the common schools of Missouri. In 1889, his family moved to

Springer, New Mexico Springer is a town in Colfax County, New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corn ...

. He attended the public schools there. Before entering politics, he worked as a railroad laborer and a merchant.

Politics

Dillon won election to the

New Mexico State Senate The New Mexico State Senate () is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state. All senatorial dist ...

in 1924. He held the position for two years. He then secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination. He was elected the governor of

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

by a popular vote on November 2, 1926. In 1928 he was reelected to a second term, becoming the first New Mexico governor to successfully run for reelection since the state's first governor, William C. McDonald. During his tenure, the state government was managed in an efficient business-like method and

Carlsbad Caverns Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a national park of the United States in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors can hike in on their own via the natural ...

was declared a national park by the federal government.

Later years

After leaving office, he retired from political life. He remained active in his business career. He eventually established the R.C. Dillon Company. He died on January 5, 1966. He was buried at Fairview Memorial Park in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

References

* Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978''. Greenwood Press, 1988. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dillon, Richard C. 1877 births 1966 deaths Republican Party governors of New Mexico Republican Party New Mexico state senators Politicians from St. Louis People from Springer, New Mexico 20th-century members of the New Mexico Legislature