Solomon Luna (October 18, 1858 – August 29, 1912) was an American rancher and banker. He became one of the largest sheep owners in

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 the time of his death, "he was one of the wealthiest and most respected men in New Mexico."

Early life

Luna was born on October 18, 1858, in

Los Lunas, New Mexico Los Lunas is a village in Valencia County, New Mexico, Valencia County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the village has a population of 17,242. It is the county seat of Valencia County. Los Lunas is pa ...

. His father was Antonio Luna and his mother, Isabella. Luna graduated from

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

Career

Luna was a rancher in New Mexico. In the 1880s, he sued William B. Slaughter and his brother

John Bunyan Slaughter John Bunyan Slaughter (December 15, 1848 – November 11, 1928) was an American rancher and banker. Born to a ranching family, Slaughter ranched in Texas and New Mexico before acquiring the U Lazy S Ranch in Garza County, Texas, in 1901 and managi ...

over rangeland they had claimed; Luna won the lawsuit. Meanwhile, he "became the largest sheep owner in New Mexico." Luna was the treasurer and tax collector of Valencia County from 1894 onwards. Luna was a delegate at the 1910 state constitutional convention. In 1911, when the

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomi ...

became the state of

, Luna was elected in this same capacity. Additionally, Luna served as the president of Bank of Commerce 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 ...

, from 1904 onwards.

Personal life

Luna was married to Adelina Oero and had no children. His nephew, Maximiliano Luna, served in the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

and the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. His son predeceased him. Luna was the uncle of suffragist Nina Otero-Warren. Luna was a member of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...

and the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), commonly known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks, is an American fraternal order and charitable organization founded in 1868 in New York City. Originally established as a social club for m ...

Death and legacy

Luna died by drowning in a sheep vat on his ranch in

Bernalillo County, New Mexico Bernalillo County (; ) is the most populous List of counties in New Mexico, county in the U.S. state of New Mexico.

, on August 29, 1912, aged 53. He was buried at the Mount Calvary Cemetery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. By the time of his death, "he was one of the wealthiest and most respected men in New Mexico."

Los Lunas High School Los Lunas High School is a public high school in Los Lunas, New Mexico. History Los Lunas High School was founded in 1926 as Solomon Luna High School. It was named for Solomon Luna, the most prominent political and financial leader of the area ...

, a high school in his hometown of Los Lunas, was named in his honor. In 1963, he was inducted into the

Hall of Great Westerners The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American W ...

of the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

. The settlement of

Luna, New Mexico Luna is a census-designated place in northwestern Catron County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 158. It is situated on the San Francisco River and U.S. Route 180, east of the Arizona border and nort ...

is named for him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Luna, Solomon 1858 births 1912 deaths People from Los Lunas, New Mexico People from Bernalillo County, New Mexico Saint Louis University alumni Ranchers from New Mexico American bankers New Mexico Republicans People from New Mexico Territory