James B. Lewis | James B. Lewis was born November 30, 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico where he attended a segregated school, Carver School. In 1954, James attended an integrated public school system when his family moved to Albuquerque. During this time, James encountered one African American teacher, Loretta Loftus. During his seventh and eighth grade years at Lincoln Junior High School, James met two outstanding African American math teachers, Ms. Manning, and Ms. Jones, who became his positive role models. He decided to go to college at this point and become a teacher. James' family eventually moved to Gallup, New Mexico in 1962, to acquire a small food service business. His family eventually moved back to Albuquerque, but James stayed in Gallup with his grandfather, where he excelled in athletics, and graduated from Gallup High School in 1966. James received a football scholarship to Bishop College in Dallas, Texas. He graduated from college in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in Education and a minor in biology. James B. Lewis was drafted into United States Army in 1970, where he served as a military policeman and a drug education specialist. After spending two years in the military, James came home and worked for the State of New Mexico in the Personnel Office and the Public Service Careers Office in Minority Recruitment. After this James became the Director of African American Studies Division under the Multicultural Enrichment Program; concurrently James was attending the University Of New Mexico, where he received his Masters in Public Administration in 1977. After receiving his Masters Degree, James went to work for the District Attorney's Office as a Criminal Investigator. James moved up in rank and became the Procurement Director. After five years in the District Attorney's Office James decided to try the political arena. James became a candidate for the Bernalillo County Treasurer in 1980. He had many to discourage him and say this is not the time, but this only gave James encouragement not discouragement to run and succeed. Even the newspapers were discouraging at this time, but James followed his own heart and won the election in 1982 and the re-election in 1984. In December 1985, Governor Toney Ananya appointed James as the State Treasurer. James finished that appointed term and ran for a full four year term in 1986 and won and became the first African American elected to a Statewide constitutional office. James received more votes than any statewide-opposed candidate including the governor at that time did. James lost his first campaign when he lost the United States Congress race in 1990. He is quick to say however that he has never lost in Bernalillo County. Well it did not end there; Governor Bruce King appointed James Chief of Staff in November of 1990. Even with all the appointments and political offices that James held after that, none made the Black community more proud than his appointment by President Clinton as the Director of the Office Economic Impact and Diversity of the United States Department of Energy in 1996. James was in charge of Minority Impact and Small Disadvantage and Women Business. James resigned January 20, 2001 at the end of President Clinton's administration. After a public service journey of more than 25 years, James retired February, 2001 with his wife Armandie, now deceased, and his four children Teri, James JR, Shedra, and LaRon and four grandchildren; JeVon, Jassud, Larre, and Tia, in Albuquerque.
Currently, 2007, James Lewis is our State Treasurer. A positioned he last held in 1986. | |
