[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 18, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S11456]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO GOVERNOR BRUCE KING

  Mr. BINGAMAN. Madam President, this week, New Mexicans of all 
political persuasions have been recalling the life of a legendary 
figure of our State, Bruce King, who served as Governor during three 
different decades and who taught by example that public service is an 
honorable calling.
  Governor King died last Friday at the age of 85. He used to tell the 
story about a former Governor who was the graduation speaker at Bruce's 
high school graduation. The former Governor looked at the very small 
class of teenagers and said:

       One of you could grow up to be governor of this state.

  Bruce looked around at his other classmates and figured that the 
Governor had to be speaking to him. Sure enough, in the course of time, 
and after serving as Santa Fe County commissioner, a State legislator, 
and speaker of the house in New Mexico, he was, in fact, elected 
Governor. In fact, he served as Governor for 12 years, longer than 
anyone else in the history of New Mexico.
  In all of those years, he never failed to make the people of New 
Mexico his first priority. With him at every step of the way, from 
their ranch in Stanley to Santa Fe and back again, was the remarkable 
Alice Martin King, his wife. She was a great force in her own right. 
She was a champion for children in our State. She died last December.
  My own history with Bruce King began when I was just out of law 
school. I was serving then as an assistant attorney general in New 
Mexico and was assigned the job of being counsel to the constitutional 
convention which our State had in 1969. Bruce, who was then speaker of 
the house, was elected president of that convention. I learned a great 
deal about the legislative process and about New Mexico history and 
about our State in general as a result of the effort to work with Bruce 
in that capacity. His management of the process and the people involved 
with the constitutional convention was masterful. He was always 
inclusive, he was always listening, and he was always working to get 
the best result. In short, he was the model of a legislative manager.
  Today I recall being privileged to serve as attorney general during 
Bruce's second term as Governor, from 1979 to 1982. We worked closely 
together on a number of issues. I was impressed all over again at his 
knowledge of New Mexico and his genuine love for its citizens. He was 
gregarious and kind. He never knew a stranger. He shook hands with 
everyone in our State. He shook every hand in our State, whether there 
was a voter attached to it or not. People were delighted to see Bruce 
coming and to hear his famous reply when asked: How are you doing, 
Governor? He would reply: Mighty fine--regardless of how difficult the 
circumstances the State and he were facing.
  Our friendship extended for 40-plus years. With my fellow New 
Mexicans, I will miss him greatly. His sons Bill and Gary, his brothers 
Don and Sam, and the entire King family have lost tremendously. Every 
New Mexican feels this loss and joins his family in honoring his life.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, I rise to celebrate the life 
and mourn the passing of one of New Mexico's great public servants. 
This past Friday Bruce King, the three-time Governor of New Mexico and 
a constant advocate for regular folks, for the average person, left 
this world after 85 years of devotion to his family, to his community, 
and to his State.
  Bruce King was a self-made man who came from modest roots. Back in 
1918, his parents traveled to New Mexico from Texas and traded their 
Model T for a homestead tract where they raised Bruce and his siblings. 
Along the way the elder Kings instilled in their children an 
appreciation for a hard day's work, a compassion for people, and a love 
of public service.
  Bruce carried those lessons into adulthood and into a life defined by 
public service. He served in the Army in World War II, as a Santa Fe 
County commissioner, as a member of the New Mexico House of 
Representatives and later speaker of that same House of Representatives 
and, finally, as a three-term Governor elected in 1970, 1978, and then, 
once more, in 1990.
  Bruce's legacy as Governor will be felt for generations. Due in no 
small part to the advocacy of his devoted wife Alice, Governor King 
created a new cabinet level department focused on the welfare of New 
Mexico's children. We called it the Children, Youth and Families 
Department. Thanks to Bruce and Alice's vision, more New Mexico 
children are safe and secure. More are healthy and ready to learn, and 
more have the support they need to follow their dreams. Governor King's 
contributions didn't end there. His leadership was instrumental to the 
creation of New Mexico's large and enduring rainy day funds which to 
this day continue to provide substantial support for education. He 
reformed New Mexico's school funding formula so that money is equally 
distributed across the State. Thanks to Governor King, State education 
funding now follows the student, regardless of income or geography. He 
also was an advocate for aggressive economic development, recruiting a 
new Intel plant to Rio Rancho, for the creation of a better, safer 
Statewide road system, and for the establishment of a new border 
crossing with Mexico.
  But despite all of these achievements, what New Mexicans will most 
remember Bruce for is something more simple and much harder to come by 
in politicians these days. Bruce was not in politics for the power, for 
the prestige. He was in politics because of the people. He loved the 
people of New Mexico and the people of New Mexico--from Lordsburg to 
Clayton to Shiprock and Carlsbad and everywhere in between--loved him 
right back. Bruce enjoyed nothing more than talking to New Mexicans. 
Almost every morning you would find him doing just that at El Comedor 
Restaurant in Moriarty, NM. He had a booming voice and was famous for 
greeting friends and strangers alike with a handshake and a down home 
``How y'all doing? Fine. Fine.''
  I will always remember Bruce as a true cowboy from Stanley who had 
the most generous spirit. He always saw the best in people. He always 
did the right thing for New Mexico. My family was fortunate to call 
Bruce and Alice our friends. Our daughter Amanda even went to work for 
Alice in her first job out of college. She stayed close with both of 
them, ever since.
  New Mexico will miss the Kings. We all know our State is a better 
place for their service and dedication to its people. As Governor King 
is laid to rest this week, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring 
this remarkable public servant.

                          ____________________