David F. Cargo

David Francis Cargo (January 13, 1929 – July 5, 2013) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 22nd governor of New Mexico between 1967 and 1971.

He was a member of the Republican Party.

Early life and education Cargo was born in Dowagiac, Michigan, He received a Bachelor of Arts (1951), Master of Arts (1953), and in 1957, a L.L.B., all from the University of Michigan. In 1966, Cargo won with 17,836 (51.8 percent) to Hawley's 16,588 (48.2 percent). He improved his primary performance in 1968, when he defeated Hawley, 28,014 (54.9 percent) to 23,052 (45.1 percent).

Cargo won the general election of 1966, narrowly defeating Democrat Gene Lusk. Cargo received 134,625 votes (51.7 percent) to Lusk's 125,587 (48.3 percent). Gathered to protest the Vietnam War and the Kent State massacre that had happened just four days earlier, the National Guard was given orders to end the protest and bayonetted 11 people, including students who were not part of the protest. A class action lawsuit was brought against Cargo and individual guardsmen by six of the bayonetting victims. A jury in Albuquerque eventually sided with Cargo, the National Guard, and the other politicians involved leaving victims to pay their own medical bills.

Cargo could not seek a third two-year term in 1970 due to term limits. Cargo ran for the U.S. Senate in 1970, but he lost the Republican primary to Anderson "Andy" Carter. Carter polled 32,122 (57.8 percent) to Cargo's 17,951 (32.3 percent). Andy Carter then lost the general election to incumbent Democrat Joseph Montoya. In 1993 he ran again but lost to Martin Chávez. Cargo made his final race in 1997 when he again contested the Albuquerque mayoralty, but he finished third and lost to Jim Baca.

Cargo continued to practice law in Albuquerque.

The Library for the Luna Community College site in Mora, NM is named after David Cargo.

Personal life Cargo and his wife, Ida Jo, had five children: Veronica, David, Patrick, Elena and Eamon.

Cargo died at the age of eighty-four of complications of a stroke which he had two years earlier.