The people of New Mexico may have heard of an individual named William A. Keleher. But I highly doubt if they know the real Keleher, because you can only know this truly amazing person with deep contemplation. In this article, I will try my level best to tell you about William Keleher, at least as much as I have learnt about him after extensive research and study. Please read on.
William Aloysius Keleher (1886-1972), was the offspring of David and Mary Ann Gorry Keleher. Three years after his birth, the family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he enrolled at St. Mary's Parochial School. Unfortunately, he could not complete the eighth grade when family needs forced him to drop out of school in 1900. Poor William had to work in order to help support his beloved family. He began his working life as a messenger for the Western Union telegraph company. He was promoted from a counter clerk to a telegraph operator, owing to his merit and skills. The following years saw him trying various jobs, never settling in a particular field. In this period of time, he worked in Bluewater Development C ompany and the board of education situated locally. A few years later, he was accepted by Washington and Lee University as a special student. He studied law and graduated in an impressive two years time (1915). The same year, he returned to Albuquerque to practice law. Eventually, he founded one of the largest law firms in the state (Keleher & McLeod) that would be named after him and his partner, A. Howard McLeod.
The firm (Keleher & McLeod), where Keleher de voted himself fully in the practice of law still runs strong today after so many years. As a matter of fact, it is perceived as one of the oldest and reliable law firms in New Mexico. Three of Kelehers sons, William, Michael and Thomas are still affiliated with the firm.
William Kelehers collection, not surprisingly, is situated in UNM since all of his children attended UNM for their degree. Moreover, many of Kelehers grandchildren are studying or have studied there. It was in 1968 when this University offered Keleher an honorary degree. He gave an emotional birthday speech at its Alumni Chapel in 1962.
The family papers of Kelehers contain information on his wife and four sons. Information about Kelehers family and siblings were also divulged by these papers. Also found was the Kelehers involvement in the fundraisers community and their ownership of different Albuquerque properties (most notably Altura Addition, Altura Shopping Center, Buena Vista Heights Addition, Huning Castle Addition, Mandell Business and Residence Addition).
In my opinion, Keleher lived his life to the fullest. Strictly speaking from Maslows theory of needs concept, Keleher reached the pinnacle as a human being which may sound really fascinating owing to the fact that he was a high school dropout. His accomplishments are sky-high and I can assure you, very few individuals soared to such heights in their span of life. The New Mexico Bar Association named Keleher one of the outstanding lawyers of the century in the year of 2000. He was also a news reporter, widely known author and a historian. University of New Mexico awarded him two honorary degrees. It is still not known to many that he was the attorney of Elfego Baca, a popular figure in New Mexico in the 1900s. Some of the most high-quality works on the Southwest were engendered by him. Books like Maxwell Land Grant,, Fabulous Frontier, Turmoil in New Mexico, Violence in Lincoln County and Memoirs are more than enough to prove his excellence in the fields he worked in. Zimmerman Library received the whole collection of William Kelehers books and archive of papers/manuscripts, which would someday divulge more amazing works of the great man.
William A. Keheler lived in Albuquerque for eighty four years and passed away at the age of eighty six in 1972, but he left his memories, achievements and most importantly, inspiration to his descendants and the people of New Mexico. Men of such league do not grace the earth very often. It is an honor to have someone like W.A. Keleher in New Mexico.
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 IKnew. Purchase the Books of William Keleher in .pdf format online at http://www.williamKeleher.com
Author:: William Keleher
Keywords:: Keleher, William Keleher : Seven Generations in America, Eight Generations in America
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