William Aloysius Keleher: A Great Man

William Aloysius Keleher was born in 1886 in Lawrence, Kansas. His parents, David Keleher and Mary Ann Keleher moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1889. There, William enrolled at Saint Mary's Parochial School and studied until 1900 when he started working as a messenger for the Western Union Telegraph Company. His initial position was that of a counter clerk. However, he was promoted to the post of telegraph operator within a short time. William tried different alternatives career after that. For a brief period, he worked for the board of education and a development company called Bluewater (both situated locally). His praiseworthy writing skills caught the attention of local newspapermen who instantly appointed him as a newspaper reporter in the year of 1908. Meanwhile, he also wrote for the Albuquerque Journal and Albuquerque Evening Herald. Later on, he would act as the city editor for both newspapers. He came in touch with many prominent New Mexicans while working as a reporter. This was the time when he got interested in law while observing contemporary events. William enrolled in the Law School at Washington and Lee University in September, 1913 and after merely two years, graduated successfully in 1915. He was admitted to the New Mexico Bar in that same year. After returning to Albuquerque, he commenced working as city attorney. He, then, joined a legal practice with George Downer which lasted till 1930. The next year, he founded another practice with A.H. McLeod. It should be noted that the firm still exists after so many years. Moreover, it is considered one of the best law firms in that zone.

Outside the professional life, William was also a diligently active New Mexican citizen. For several years, he acted as the chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee of New Mexico. He served under the State Board of Finance from 1932 to 1949. When the first national bank of Albuquerque failed miserably in 1933, he served as its conservator. In 1933, Governor appointed William to investigate the labor altercation in the coal fields It was then when the “Mechem-Keleher” report on the Gallup coal strike was engendered that forced the federal government to settle the strike.

William’s service on the New Mexico State University (previously known as the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts), the Museum of New Mexico, the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission was greatly appreciated. He also held a few private sector positions carrying tremendous importance. He was the director of the US Equitable Life Assurance Society and the legal counsel for the New Mexico Public Service Company.

It will not be an exaggeration to opine that William’s most significant non-professional activities were his writings. He was an eager scholar of New Mexico history and he officially became an authoritative author on the topic in 1929 when he delivered a speech on the Maxwell Land Grant in a conference held in Amarillo, Texas. Interestingly, it resulted in his first book which was entitled “The Maxwell Land Grant” (1942). He went on to write more books after publishing that work. It is truly a praiseworthy fact that William never neglected his law firm’s regular hours despite the demands of writing books like The Fabulous Frontier, Turmoil in New Mexico, Violence in Lincoln Country, New Mexicans I Knew, and Memoirs. His last book came out in 1969.

William was honored by innumerable groups for his impressive accomplishments. Among them, the Immaculate Conception Church, Tucker Chapter of Phi-Delta-Phi, and the Phi Beta Kappa were considered the most elite ones. In addition, William was also honored by few educational institutes. He received an honorary Master of Arts and an honorary LL.D in 1946 and 1968, respectively from the same university (University of New Mexico). He received another LL.D from the University of Albuquerque in 1968. Eventually, he was included in the prestigious New Mexico Hall of Fame, in the year of 1964.

William Aloysius Keleher was a multifaceted individual who lived in Albuquerque for eighty four of his eighty six years. Besides his profession of law, he also succeeded in becoming a internationally acclaimed author, historian and newspaperman. He died on December 18th, 1972 leaving behind his legacy and achievements. He will always be remembered and venerated.