Portrait courtesy of the Library of Congress.
A leading Republican political figure residing in New Mexico in the late 19th century, Tranquilino Luna was a scion of a leading political family in Las Lunas, a town that had received its name in honor of his family. As the son of affluent Valencia County rancher and stock-raiser Antonio Jose Luna, Tranquilino Luna attended college in Missouri and after several years of successful merchandising and stock-raising in his home county turned to politics, being elected as New Mexico's territorial delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1880. Luna would lose his congressional seat due to a contested election in early 1884 but was not through politically, as he went on to serve as a delegate to the 1888 Republican National Convention and occupied the office of sheriff of Valencia County.
Born in Los Lunas on June 29, 1849, Tranquilino Luna was one of nine children born to Antonio Jose Luna and the former Isabella Baca. It can safely be said that political service ran deep in the Luna family, with Tranquilino's father serving as Probate Judge for Valencia County and his brothers Solomon and Jesus serving as respective members of the Republican National Committee and Sheriff of Valencia County. A student in the public schools of Valencia County, Luna went on to attend the Saint Michael's College in Santa Fe and later studied at the University of Missouri at Columbia, graduating at an unknown date.
Luna married at age eighteen to Amalia Jaramillo (1853-1888), with who he had one son, Maximiliano (1870-1899). Maximiliano Luna would follow his father into politics, serving two terms in the Mexico Territorial Legislature, including one as speaker of the house. A member of the "Rough Riders" during the Spanish American War, Luna saw action at San Juan Hill and later lost his life in the Philippines in November 1899, drowning while crossing the River Agno on Luzon Island.
Through the 1870s Luna established himself as a leading stockman in his area and began treading the political waters when he was elected as the vice president of the Valencia County Republican Convention in June 1875. In 1878 his name was prominently mentioned as a candidate for New Mexico's delegate to Congress but bowed out of the contest, throwing his support to Mariano Otero, the nephew of powerful territorial political leader Miguel Antonio Otero (1829-1882).
In June 1880 Tranquilino Luna served as part of the New Mexican delegation to the Republican National Convention in Chicago where James Garfield was nominated for the Presidency. Following his service, Luna's name was again brought forth as a candidate for delegate to Congress at the New Mexico Republican state convention in August 1880. After accepting the nomination, Luna faced off that November against Miguel Otero, who had represented the territory three times in Congress and was a former acting governor of the territory. Throughout the campaign, both candidate's supporters slung mud at one another in the press, but on election day in November, it was Luna who won out, polling 10, 835 votes to Otero's 9, 562. News of Luna's congressional win made it as far as Massachusetts, where, in November 1880, his curious name and heritage received a backhanded compliment in the Boston Post, which noted:
"Tranquilino Luna, which is the Mexican for Tranquil Moon, is the delegate elect to Congress from New Mexico. We would remark that the moon is about the only thing that can be tranquil in New Mexico, as it is beyond the reach of fleas."
From the Boston Post, November 20, 1880.
After journeying to Washington, D.C., Luna took his seat and was named to the committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures. He would return to his home in Los Lunas for a visit in March 1881 and, during an interview with the Las Vegas Morning Gazette, spoke of his meeting with President Garfield as well as his own work to improve the postal service in the territory. Due to Luna's efforts, a "secured" mail route was developed between Socorro and Clairmont, as well as a route from Valencia to St. Johns, Arizona. Following this interview the Gazette would report favorably on Luna's work in Congress, remarking:
"This shows that Mr. Luna is taking hold of work in an energetic manner, and he will undoubtedly do good work for the territory during his term in office."In 1882, after being bolstered by friends and supporters, Luna announced that he'd be seeking renomination as a delegate to congress. Acknowledged as "a man of fine statue, good looking, bright, affable and well educated in both English and Spanish", Luna's first term was lauded by the Prescott, Arizona Miner shortly after his announcement, noting:
"He is regarded in the capital city as being one of the ablest delegates, and his standing with the heads of departments is excellent. We think New Mexico will be lucky if Mr. Luna is retained to represent her a second time."The 1882 contest for delegate pitted incumbent Luna against Democrat Francisco Antonio "Frank" Manzanares (1843-1904), a banker with business dealings throughout the American southwest. That November Luna again prevailed at the ballot box, besting Manzanares
by a vote of 15, 062 to 13, 376. Taking his seat at the start of the 1883-85 session, Luna was again named to the committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures. Despite Luna's apparent victory at the polls, Frank Manzanares was not to be denied, however, and contested the election results. Appealing to the house committee on Elections, Manzanares cried fraud, and with this plea instigated an electoral quagmire that dragged on through 1883 and into early 1884. The friction between Luna and Manzanares supporters grew to a fever pitch, finally reaching violence in February 1883, when Luna's cousin, Melchior Luna, fatally shot Manzanares supporter Miguel Sanchez following a quarrel regarding the election.
Tranquilino Luna continued to serve as delegate through the investigation but eventually lost his seat to Manzanares in February 1884 when the house elections committee deemed over 2,000 votes in the 1882 election as fraudulent, thus swinging the election in favor of Manzanares. Manzanares would serve as a delegate for less than a year, not being a candidate for reelection.
Despite being put out of office due to allegations of voter fraud, Luna returned to New Mexico and continued with his earlier business interests. In January 1888 he suffered the death of his wife Amalia and in that same year was appointed as sheriff of Valencia County following the death of his brother Jesus. He was re-elected to that post in 1890 and in 1892 again served as part of the New Mexican delegation to the Republican National Convention, this time held in Minneapolis. Luna would take ill in the latter part of that year and died at his Los Lunas home on November 20, 1892, aged just 43. He was survived by his son Maximiliano and was interred at the San Clemente Cemetery in Los Lunas.
Frome "Representative New Mexicans", 1912.
Around the same time that Tranquilino Luna was beginning his ascent in New Mexico territorial politics, another man with this unusual first name was doing the same in the county of San Miguel. That man was Tranquilino Labadie, who, after holding several local offices etched his name into state history books when he served as a delegate from Guadalupe County to the New Mexico Constitutional Convention of 1910. His service in that body saw him as a signer of New Mexico's first state constitution, and following his service was elected to the first New Mexico state legislature as a representative from Guadalupe County.
The son of Lorenzo and Rayitos Labadie, Tranquilino Labadie was born in Sante Fe, New Mexico on July 6, 1854. While still a child he removed with his family to the settlement of Albiquin, where his father had been named as an Indian agent. Labadie would attend the Saint Michael's College in Sante Fe and in 1879 removed to the town of Las Vegas in San Miguel County. Here he would begin his political career, first serving as deputy county clerk from 1879-82 and in the last-named year was appointed as an interpreter for the territorial house of representatives.
In 1883 Labadie was reappointed as deputy county clerk and during this term pulled political "double-duty", as he had been elected as the first city clerk for Las Vegas. His time in those offices extended until 1885, and in that year entered into the post of undersheriff and collector for San Miguel County. In December 1885 President Cleveland named Labadie as U.S. Postmaster at Las Vegas, serving until 1890.
After removing to the town of San Miguel in 1890, Labadie undertook a career change, being a manager and partner in a mercantile store and tie contracting business. From 1893-96 he held the post of regent for the New Mexico Normal University, and in 1904 relocated to Guadalupe County. After establishing himself in the town of Santa Rosa Labadie won election as deputy county probate clerk (serving 1905-07) and from 1909-10 was deputy county assessor.
Tranquilino Labadie was elected to the 1910 New Mexico Constitutional Convention, convened to help frame the laws of New Mexico. After affixing his signature to the new constitution, Labadie was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives, the first legislature to occur after New Mexico gained statehood. During this session of the new state legislature, Labadie held the following committee assignments: The Capitol, County and County Lines, Enrolled Bills, Liquor Traffic, the Penitentiary, Privileges and Elections, Public Lands. He would also hold the chairmanship of the Railroads committee.
On May 30, 1913, not long after his first term in the legislature had concluded, Tranquilino Labadie died at his Santa Rosa home at age 59. A burial location for him remains unknown at this time, and he was subsequently memorialized by his fellow representative Ramon Baca as:
"One of the best known Spanish Americans in the state and was unswerving in his loyalty to his friends. He was chairman of the committee on railroads at the last session and showed much energy. He was thoroughly honest and reliable in all his dealings."
From the Estancia News-Herald, June 5, 1913.
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