William A. Keleher (1886-1972) founded the Oldest and Largest Law Firm
in New Mexico, Keleher & McLeod, P.A. The William Keleher site
WilliamKeleher.com contains over 300 Rare Photographs of numerous
Pioneer Southwest Luminaries like Elfego Baca and Conrad Hilton.
Internationally Famous William A. Keleher authored some of the premier
works on the Southwest: "Maxwell Land Grant,"1942; "Fabulous Frontier,"
1945; "Turmoil in New Mexico, 1846-1968," 1952;"Violence in Lincoln
County," 1957; and "Memoirs" 1969. and "New Mexicans I Knew." Purchase
the Books of William A. Keleher in .pdf format online through Google
Books at WilliamKeleher.com
Scholarships: Arts & Sciences:
Additionally the William A. Keleher Memorial Journalism Scholarship was
established in 1980 at the University of New Mexico College of Arts and
Sciences.The UNM fund had at the time 126 Endowment Funds with an
investment value of $8,000,000 as of June 30, 2001.
UNM collections open for researchers:
The Center for Regional Studies Fellows presented work on the UNM
Libraries Collections. William A. Keleher: Maker and Marker of History.
William A. Keleher's papers an archives continue to be a rare glimpse
into that bygone era of the Pioneer Southwest. Keleher, an author of
several books on history of the southwest and a practicing attorney at
Keleher & McLeod, P.A. left an extensive collection of history and
territorial publications along with his correspondence and research
materials.
Scholarships: Gifts that Grow.
In the 1920s in Albuquerque New Mexico, with subdivisions
proliferating, developers pressured City Hall to annex their
subdivisions, and the City Commission, led by Tingley, obliged. In 1925
the city added nine sections, doubling Albuquerque's land base
overnight. The land stretched from Mulberry to San Pedro and Gibson to
Constitution. The last annexation before the Depression was the Huning
Castle Addition, 156 acres of pastures and drained swampland acquired
from Franz Huning's heirs by contractor A.R. Hebenstreit and attorney
William Keleher.
In 1928 lawyer William Keleher and contractor A.R. Hebenstreit acquired
land from Franz Huning's heirs and platted the Huning Castle Addition.
Swamps made much of the land unattractive for development, but that was
remedied after the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy began projects to
drain marshy lands and control the river. Albuquerque Country Club
moved from the East Mesa to its current location in 1928, which added
prestige to the development. They only got a few homes built before the
Stock Market Crash of 1929. (Most of the homes in this affluent
subdivision, which came to be known as the Country Club neighborhood,
were built after World War II.
Securing a Place in New Mexico History:
William A. Keleher was a newspaperman, lawyer, internationally known
author and historian who lived in Albuquerque for 84 of his 86 years.
UNM awarded him two honorary degrees. His five books about the frontier
era in the Southwest include an authoritative chronicle of the Lincoln
County War. Keleher died in 1972.
Zimmerman Library: received Keleher's impressive collection of
southwestern books and archive of papers and manuscripts, which is
still being inventoried. This gift is from sons William B Keleher,
Michael L Keleher, John G. Keleher and Thomas F. Keleher, and from the
children of W. A. Keleher's late daughter, Mary Ann Keleher Rogers:
James W. Rogers, Junior, Susan Rogers Schenkelberg, Ann Rogers Rothman
and Michael Rogers
