Document text
20b1
James A. Burns
words
DEd-ri 193D
NATIVE SONS OF NAW LEXICO
'TAMES 13. UAD
Almost a century has now passed since the American in-
vasion of New Mexico and the alrA)st bloodless conquest of the
Territory by General Kearney and his troops. A bloodless
entry into Las Vegas, a small battle near Glorietgt, and
skirmished with unorganized mountaineers along the Santa Fe
Trail, and Kearnprs dragoons entered Santa Fe, and found
things so quiet that the commanding orficr, tired after a
hard days, ride, went to bed in the old Palace of the Gover-
nors' and put off Uhtil the next day, the forial ceremonies
of taking possesion of the city.
There can be no question of the patriotism and love of
country of the Spanish-American people of Santa Fe and New
Mexico generally, whose ancestors had lived in the country
for a hundred and fifty years, following the reconquest in
1692. And s'411e of whom had been here even earlier, before the
Indian rebellion.
But in the short space of a quarter of a century, they had
become so discusted with the gross incoLpetence and monumental
grafting of the officials of the Mexican ROpplais that they were
reedy to submit to the rule of a people, alien in blood, laws
and customs, to say nothing of religion.
Also, as a contributing factor to the peaceful conquest,
the Sant Fe Trail had been opened at about the same time as
the iexican Revolution; they had begun to do their trading with
St. Louis instAid of Chihuahua in Old Mexico, and the ricos were
sending their children to the States for an American education.
There was besides the hatred and fear of those invaders
from the oc7,utheast, the Tejanos, or Texans, with whom Gov-
ernor Armijo had had several battles in the years 1840-45 just
before the American entry.
Like soldiers in other campaigns since Caesar's Gallic
wars, and even following the example of their Spanish predecess-
ors in the army of De Vargas, sme of the American soldiers,
whether from choice or the exigency of t:leir military duties,
instead of followInc Kearney to California, remained in New
14exico, married ':Ipanish women, and rdsed families of children.,
who while loyal to the flag that flew over them, drew in with
their mother's milk the ntense local patriotism and love of
their native New :exioo, which distinguish the Spanish,American
people.
Among the most a.ominent American soldiers who remained
in New i:iexico, after the departure of General Kearney, and who
helped to inaugurt.te the civil eovernment of the United States
in the Territory, wits Captain Benjamin Franklin Read, U.S.A.,
grandfather of Vmes B. Read.
Captain lead wad dose nded from Revolutionary stock, his
grandfather having been one oZ the sicncra of the Declaration
of independence, and having such a strong friendship and re
g' rd for Benjamin Franklin that in each followin6 generation
L.t let one son bore the name Benjamin, either as a first or as
James B. Read
a middle name.
Within two or three years after ooming to New Mexico,
Captain Read ma-ried Ynacia Cane, daughter of an old
Spanish family of Santa Fe, and in 1858, left her a widow
with three young sons.
Mrs. Ynacia Read raised these three boys, sending
them to the oarochial schools of Santa Fe and to St.
Licheal's College, which education they afterwards supple
rented by their own efforts. They all crew to be a credit
to her and their deed father.
They were Alexander, afterward District Attorney for
Santa Fe and Rio Arriba counties; Benjamin F., author of
the only authoritative history of New Mexioo, and Larkin
Read, afterward State Superintendent of schools.
James Bassuet Read, son of Larkin G. Read WM Teodore
Martinez, was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 15, 1873,
so that he is now in his 58th year but looks to be eeveral
years younger.
He attended the public schools of Santa Fe and later
St. Hicheal's College.
He first etered the employ of t-te First Litional
Bank of Santa Fe and except for about nine months service
in the army during the Spanish American War, has continoysly
been employed in the bank from that tie until 1923, a term
of 27 years, where he received an excilent financial train-
ing under the 1J•te Levi Hughes, President of the Bank. In
James B. Read
#4
his first few years in the bank, he also had the guid-
ance of his father, who died in WM, when his son had
reached the age of twenty years.- His father had been
brought up to follow strict principles of rigid honesty
by his Spanish mother, Dona Ynacia Reed, a woman of strong
force of character.
While attending St.. Lichealls College, young Larkin,.
then a oy of ab0it sixteen, Wes employed week -ends and
during the summer vacation as clerk and interpreter for
Territorial Governor Giddings (abol.t 1872) who had his
office in the old Governor's Pclece.
One day, needing currency for sotde purpose, the
Governor sent Lerkin across the Plaza to the bank with
a check for 150.00. The cashier in the rush of business
anti not Inowing whet the Governor wanted the money for,
glencbd at the check, and going bck to the veult, made
up a bundle of currency amounting to !1.500.00 and gcve
it to young Read. Drkin thought there was something
wrong but took the money beck to Governor Giddings and
called his attention to the mistake.
The Governor counted out the $150.00 he had sent for
and told the boy to return the rest of the money to the
b..nker who had not year
--V7-realized his error. He tiihnked
Larkin profusely and sent him to the Covornor with a
note.
"Get this boy the best of clothes for his size you/
James B. Read
#5
can find in Santa Fe. Many thanks, Governor."
"All right, Larkin, let's go over to Seligman's." ;Aid
Governor Giddings took the boy and bought him a new suit of
clothes, etc. Proud of his new suit, the boy took it home
and showed it to his mother. But Abuela Ynacia was not so
easily satisfied and took the boy back to Governor Giddings'
office.
"Por quo you buy my boy these clothes?"
The lovernor explained at considerable length that the
suit was a reward from the b!nker, for the boy's honesty in
returning the money and only then would she allow Larkin to
tke the suit h()re nd it to his admiring brothers,
After serving all a ,prenticeship of fourteen years in the
bank from 1896 to 1910, from messenger, clerk and bookkeeper
and teller, in which he mastered the details of the clerical
work of the bank, he was promoted to assistant eashier in
1910. Still with watchful guidance of mr. Hughes, he gained
a knowledge of the large problems of the banking business and
able to ber larger responsibilities and in 1915 was promoted
to cashier, where he surved until 1923. From 1919 to 1923
M. Read officiated as rtate Bank Xxaminer in addition to his
work as cashier of the First National Bank in Santa Fe.
At this time the First National Bank of Santa Fe was the
largest and ao it still is, one of the strongest banks in the
State of New Mexico.
James B. Read
At this time, Mr. Huches was trying to help the cattle
men of New Mexico out of the difficulties they had gotten
into during the 'Iorld War and to protect them from the
rapacity and incompetenee of the bureaucrats in charge of
the 7:ar Finance Corporation.
Mr. Hughes was covertly sneered at by Eastern lawyers
as a sort of "David Harum" banker, but even though, through
his life-long association !nd acolaintance with cattle men
and ffrmers of New Lexie° "he had the common touch", he could
also "walk with Kings", and with his mastery of financial
problems, even lay cown the law to them. In this work and
the voluminous detail work it entailed, he was ably seoonded
by his young cashier. The burden finally proved too much for
Hughes and broke his health and no doubt shortened his
life by ten years.
Mr. Read served as cashier of the Sante Fe bank until
1923, where a business opportunity brought him to Taos.
From the time of the Americ&n occupation until after
the beginning of the century, the banking 13.43iness (if Alkoh
it could be called) of Taos, was conducted under very primi-
tive conditions. Sheep men, farmers and others, left their
ready cfsh with the plrchants of the town, Bent and St. Vrain,
Antonio Zoseph, Don Juan Santistevan and later, with Gusdorf
Brothers, and McCarthy, Peter Dolan and others. Theme mar..
chants made loans on sheep and wool, mostly "character loans",
James B. Read
is
rr7
depending almost entirely on their personal judgIOUI for
the sefety of their money. Costly losses and a robbery or
two (mused them to attempt to start a benk in Taos, which
were raher abortive because the men in charge were not
trtined bankers.
A First National Bank of Taos,was organized abot 1919
with Alex Gusdorf as President and other business men as
directors. This proired unworkable and the bank was soon
changed to the First State Bank of Taos in 1920, which
has remained over since.
Alex Cusdorf died in 1923 and the late Dr. T. P. Martin
was elected President. The doctor, who hel been living in
Tees since 1896, wee a man of rood business judgment, and
a wide acquaintance over northern New Mexico but could not
spere the time frem his extensive practice, and the clerical
force wee poorly trained in the handling of banking routine.
In this emereency, Dr. Martin appealed to his old time
pioneer friend, Levi Hughes, to loan him a man from his staff,
to take over the work of examininc loans, and to train his
office force.
TO doctor and Jim Heads who had known one another for
years, made a setiefactory arrenient and Read and his wife
came to Taos, where he and the doctor lived as close neigh.
bore and friends until the latterts death in 1935.
Taos was not an unknown quantity to Jim Reedt He had
visited VI, old town at various times, was acqualleted uith
many of the business men and his fither had started his
James B. Read
#8
career as an educator in Taos.
The Read family has been connected with the history
of Taos at various times during the past hundred years so
that when Jim Read onme to Taos to take charge of the Bank,
he was but following in the footsteps of his father and
other ancestors.
His mother, Teodoro Martinez, was the grand daughter
of Antonio Martinez, who brought the first printing press
to New i,lexico with ilhich Padre Martinez printed "El Gre-
pueculo" (The Dawn), the first newspaper in New Mexico, in
Taos. Besides this, he printed text books for his school
and other b6oks w:ich are still in possession of th e Read
family.
In 1877, Jim's father, Larkin G. Read, then a young
man of 21 and starting his career as a school teacher, came
to Taos at the request of tLie late Archbishop Lamy and
taught in the parochial school.
He returned in 1883 end spent another your in the schools
of Taos.
When Jim Read acme to Taos, the First State Bank, was
locted in the :on-aner Building at the southwest corner of
the Plaza, where llollands, Drug Store is now. Expanding
business and the need for larger and mol:e commodious quarters
caused the directors to construct their own building at the
northwest corner of the Plaza to which they moved in Sot
ember 1929.
Lir. Read served as cashier of the Miret Stat.:; Bank
James B. Read
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from 1923 until dalluary 1956, where he was elected Vice
President with Mrs. Bertha Gusdorf as President to succeed
tha late Dr. T. P. Martin.
Mr. Read is in active charge and control of the
policy of the bank, with Mr. C. D. Seerest in charge of
the office routine as cashier.
The gradual decline or at least stand still, of
the sheep and wool and farming business and the grwwth in
volume and value of the tourist business and the growth in
general bus'ness end population in the old town in the
last fifteen years, brought new probleMB for the banker
to solve, which he has done to the satisfaction of his
directors, if not always to the satisfaction of the cus-
tohlers, or would -he customers of the bank. He has been
accused of 'iltra-eonservatism in the making of loans, but
the steady growth in the voilume of deposits and even in
th amount of loans to justify his judgment even though
he may at times a:j)eur to lean over beekwvrds in conger.-
vatism.
Several stories are current which illustrate his
caution. One fly-by-night promoter was heard to say "That
fellow in the bank can say Not in 57 different languages."
On anoth,J. occasion, a party who had fdlud to secure
a loan and ,as some what disgruntled, was heard to remark,
"What does that fellow Read know about bafiting? He never
loaned a doll :r in his life."
This very astuteness, however, brought him the position
of President of the 'Tow exico State BAlkers Assocition in
Zames B. Read
g71
10
1933-34.
During the Spanish American War, young Read enlisted
in the First Regiment of New Mexico Territorial Volunteers
in June 1898 and was mustered out as a corporal in February
1899. His regiment spent most of their nine months service
in camp at Albamy, Georgia.
He returned to his work in the 3anta Fe Bank and his
father, Larkin G. 7ieed, died in the fall of that same year,
1899.
He was married June 22, 1905, to gyrtle G. Hampel, of
cinta Fe, who came to Taos with him in 1923 and who now
has a flower, gift ncf curio store at the northeast corner
of the Plaza.
In 1935 they purchased the house on North Pueblo i‘venue
formerly owned by Carol Dwire of the Forest Service, who
had been transferred to Alamogordo.
Mr. and Mrs. lead had no children of their own and in
1912 adopted Leona Griffin, and brought her to Taos in 1923.
She studied art in Taos and for a wh'le in New York City,
and showed some ability. While in New York she met Desmond
OtRyan, a young Canadian, son of an official of the Canadian
Pacific Railroad. They were married. in Taos in September
1930 and sent sametliae in Calcutta, India, where mr. OtRyan
is connec44d with the iMglish Civil Service. Mrs. Onyan
is the owner of the old Pablo Martinez hacienda at Ranchitos,
one of the oldest and largeat houses in the vicinity of Taos.
James B. Read
#11
M. Read is fully, if not quite, six feet tall, weighs
about 170 pounds, dark complexion and black hair, some what
sprinkled with gray, but loos younger than his years. He
is always well dressed end has the erect soldierly carriage
inherited from his 1.ancifather. He speaks both Spanish and
riclish fluently, having learned both languages in his boyhood.
He IL very fond of flowers, raising them at homeand
bringing a ltrgo bunch of them to the bank nef:rly every morn-
ing to decorate his desk and others in the bank.
he is very fund of children, and the children are very
fond of him. It is nothing unusual for him to stop on the
street c,nd joke end lEugh with them or for s me toddlc)r of
three or four to call out, "Hello Jim."
SOJRC :S F INPC7.1:1 TI ON
l'ersonal history and business career from interview
with Mr "Reed.
Information on Larkin G. Read from Lewis Illustrated
History of New exico, 1895.
Personal knowledge.