Ms116 George Amos Godfrey Papers

George Amos Godfrey

Papers

A register of

Manuscript collection

116

in the
Rio Grande Historical Collections
New Mexico State University Library
P.O. Box 30006
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003
E-mail: archives@lib.nmsu.edu
URL: http://archives.nmsu.edu
Telephone: (505) 646-3839
Fax: (505) 646-7477

Overview

Godfrey, George Amos, 1885-1973.

Papers, 1914-1974 2.5 linear feet (1,837 items).

Animas Valley rancher, and a leader in New Mexico's cattle industry. Godfrey served three terms as vice president of the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association and two terms as that organization's president. Godfrey also served as an officer in the American National Cattlemen's Association. These papers contain correspondence, legal documents and financial records relating to Godfrey's business and personal life, as well as correspondence, legal and financial records, and programs from the various organizations to which Godfrey belonged, and many reports, articles, speeches and clippings on subjects of interest to Godfrey, particularly predator control and the eradication of foot and mouth disease. Significant correspondents include Senator Clinton P. Anderson, A. D. Brownfield, Floyd Lee and Albert K. Mitchell.

Access and Use

Open. All materials contained in this collection are available for research under supervised conditions in the Research Room.

Copyright. The literary rights possessed in these records by Thelma Godfrey have been transferred to the Rio Grande Historical Collections.

Preferred Citation

George Amos Godfrey. Papers. Ms 116. Rio Grande Historical Collections, New Mexico State University Library.

Acquisition

A76-07 Gift of Thelma Godfrey, March 1976

Related Materials

Ms 5 Red River Valley Company Records
Ms 35 Southeastern New Mexico Grazing Association Records
Ms 149 New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association Records
Ms 178 New Mexico Wool Growers Association Records
Ms 201 Spencer Family Ranching Records

Processing

Merleen Dibert, October 1979
Linda Blazer, March 2000

Table of Contents

Page

4 Biographical Sketch

6 Scope and Content Note

Description of Series/Container List

Godfrey Ranch

8 Correspondence

9 Legal documents

9 Financial documents

10 Reports

10 Speeches

11 Maps

11 Printed materials

12 Miscellany

Ranching organizations

12 American National Live Stock Association

13 Border States Foot and Mouth Disease Board

13 Cattle Sanitary Board of New Mexico

13 National Livestock Brand Conference

14 New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association

14 New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau

15 New Mexico Wool Growers Association

15 Other organizations

Biographical Sketch

George Amos Godfrey was born in Newton, Kansas, on December 20, 1886. He worked as a cowboy on the Maria River, near Shelby, Montana, from 1904-1908. In 1909 he went to Hachita, New Mexico, to work for the Diamond A Cattle Company and homesteaded in New Mexico's Animas Valley that same year. In 1914 he leased one school section in the Animas Mountains, 25 miles south of Animas, and gradually increased his ranch by buying out homesteaders and small ranchers as they left the area. Godfrey married Thelma Gibson, of Deming, New Mexico, in 1918. They had one son, William Godfrey.

George A. Godfrey was involved in the following activities:

President (two terms), vice-president (three terms), and member of the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association.

Member and Livestock Committeeman, New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau.

Second vice-president (two terms) and member of the legislative committee, forest committee, and brand and theft
committee, American National Cattlemen's Association.

Chairman, Hidalgo County Screw-worm Program.

Director, Lordsburg Chamber of Commerce and representative, United States Chamber of Commerce.

Chairman and member, Cattle Sanitary Board of New Mexico.

Chairman and member, Border States Foot and Mouth Disease Board.

In his ranching activities Godfrey cooperated with the United States Department of Agriculture in rat control, and with New Mexico State University in experiments on land and grass testing, pregnancy testing, Vitamin A testing, and parasite control. He was also an honorary member of the Future Farmers of America.

He received the following awards and recognitions: Swift Meat Company Award, 1951; New Mexico Cattle Growers' Cattleman of the Year, 1959; the District Federal Land Bank Outstanding Man of Agriculture, 1968; and the New Mexico State University Agriculturist of Distinction, 1970.

George Godfrey died May 5, 1973.

Scope and Content Note

As a leader in the cattle industry, George Godfrey's papers reflect the concerns of New Mexico cattlemen in the 1940s and 1950s. Problems with the federal government over administration of the public lands, particularly Forest Service lands, are discussed, as to the general fear of extensive federal regulation of the livestock industry. Another real problem faced by New Mexico cattlemen during this era was the threat of foot and mouth disease being brought into this county from Mexico. Consequently, Godfrey, as an active member and officer of the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association, was frequently in communication with the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, and State, as well as with numerous local and state agencies, and cattlemen's associations in other states. As a result, this collection provides an excellent picture of the relationship between the federal government and ranchers.

Not only is this collection a good source for agricultural history, but it provides an interesting look at some national legislation introduced by important political figures. One example of this is the extensive correspondence Godfrey carried on with political figures concerning John F. Kennedy's labor bill introduced in 1958. The cattlemen opposed this legislation but were more supportive of the forestry bill sponsored by Lyndon Johnson during the same time period. Among Godfrey's political correspondents were Representatives Thomas G. Morris, John J. Dempsey and Antonio Fernandez; Senators E. L. Mechem, Dennis Chavez, Clinton P. Anderson and Carl Hatch; as well as Governors Jack M. Campbell, Ed Mechem and Thomas Mabry.

A strength of the Godfrey papers is the wealth of information it provides on the New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association since only minimal records of the organization are extant. Not only did the association provide a forum for the state's leading cattlemen to express their viewpoints, but the correspondence, speeches, reports, programs, newsletters and press releases document the uncertainty and economic problems faced by New Mexico ranchers following World War II (one of which was the military takeover of grazing lands). As an officer of this organization, Godfrey corresponded with many prominent New Mexicans, including A. D. Brownfield, Roger B. Corbett, Floyd W. Lee, Hugh M. Milton III, Albert K. Mitchell and W. P. Thorpe.

Godfrey also was active in the American National Cattlemen's Association (formerly the American National Live Stock Association), and frequently corresponded with members of the New Mexico Wool Growers Association. Other organizations in which he took an active part (as shown by the materials in the collection) include the Border States Foot and Mouth Disease Board, Cattle Sanitary Board of New Mexico, and the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau.

In addition to this organizational information, the collection also contains some ranch records. The oldest of these is an account book dating from 1914 and there are a few records dated as late as 1974; however the bulk of the ranch records are from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

The collection has been divided into two sub-groups, "Godfrey Ranch" and "Ranching Organizations." The first sub-group, Godfrey Ranch, contains Godfrey's personal and business papers, and is further divided into eight series: Correspondence, Legal documents, Financial documents, Reports, Speeches, Maps, Printed materials, and Miscellany. The other sub-group, Ranching Organizations, is divided by organization. There is necessarily a great deal of overlap in the subject matter of the two sub-groups, since the issues with which the organizations were dealing were the same issues which concerned Godfrey in the management of his own ranch. Therefore a researcher would be well advised to use a wide approach.

Description of Series/Container List

GODFREY RANCH, 1914-1974

Correspondence, 1936, 1940-1971, 1973, n.d. 9 folders.

Letters received, and copies of letters received and sent, which pertain to Godfrey's personal affairs and to the management of his ranch. (Correspondence which specifically mentions one of the ranching organizations is filed with the materials of that organization.)

Box/Folder Contents

Business correspondence

1/1 1936, 1940-1945

1/2 1946

1/3 1947

1/4 1948, 1949

1/5 1950-1957

1/6 1958-1965

1/7 1966-1971, n.d.

Personal correspondence

1/8 1941-1943, 1945-1948, 1952-1960

1/9 1961-1966, 1968-1970, 1973, n.d.

Legal documents, 1934, 1938-1941, 1945-1955, 1957, 1958, 7 folders.
1960-1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, n.d.

Laws, bills, acts, etc. which impact the ranching business in general. (They may be, and probably are, also related to issues being considered by one or more of the ranching organizations, but if there is not an apparent specific association, the document is filed here.) Other documents in the series pertain to the Godfrey Ranch and include mortgage papers, brand and inspection certificates, grazing permits and institutional leases.

Box/Folder Contents

Laws, ordinance, bills, acts, resolutions, regulations, statements and memorandum opinions

2/1 1934, 1938, 1941, 1945-1951

2/2 1955, 1958, 1961, 1966, n.d.

2/3                             Warranty deed, agreements, mortgage and release of mortgage, order and applications
                                        for public sale of land, affidavits, wills and appraisal, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1952, 1957,
                                       1960, 1963, 1966, 1969, n.d.

2/4 Brand and inspection certificates, 1939-1941, 1946, 1948, 1951, 1964, 1965, 1968,
1969, 1971

2/5 Grazing permits, 1940, 1944, 1946, 1948, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1961, 1963

2/6 Institutional leases, 1940, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966

2/7 Voter lists and 1965 New Mexico Legislature membership list, 1965, 1966, n.d.

Financial documents, 1914-1937, 1939-1952, 1954-1974, n.d. 11 folders.

Include early ranch records, insurance papers and tax records.

Box/Folder Contents

2/8 Journal, 1914-1937

2/9 Ledger, 1931-1935

2/10 Record book, 1939-1952

2/11 Purchase books for J. C. Holbert Cattle Company, 1956

3/1 Records, 1958, 1960-1962, 1967 (written in "1958" calendar)

3/2 Insurance, 1960?, 1961, 1973, n.d.

Tax records

3/3 County tax records and schedules, 1936, 1939, 1941-1943, 1948-1950,
1954, 1956, 1957, 1971, 1972, n.d.

3/4 State tax records, 1945, 1948, 1951, 1960-1965, 1967-1970

Federal tax records

3/5 1944, 1945, 1947, 1954-1963

3/6 1964-1971, 1974

3/7 Miscellaneous records, 1945, 1948, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1970

Reports, 1937, 1941-1943, 1945, 1947-1949, 1958, 1959, 1965, 1966, n.d. 1 folder.

Box/Folder Contents

3/8                               Reports, statements and informational memoranda (not specific to ranching
                                        organizations), 1937, 1941-1943, 1945, 1947-1949, 1958, 1959, 1965,
                                        1966, n.d.

Speeches, 1943, 1946-1948, 1951, 1952, 1961, 1962, 1967, 1969, n.d. 3 folders.

Box/Folder Contents

3/9 Speeches by Godfrey (includes humorous source material), 1943, 1947, 1969, n..d.

3/10 Addresses by others, 1943, 1946-1948, 1951, 1952, 1961, 1962, 1967, n.d.

4/1 "Speaker's Kit" (compiled by the Public Relations Committee of the American
National Live Stock Association), 1948

Maps, 1963, n.d. 2 folders.

Box/Folder Contents

4/2 Maps, Godfrey Ranch, n.d.

OS20-2 "Official Allotment Map" for George A. Godfrey, January 25, 1963

Printed materials, 1945, 1947, 1949-1951, 1959, 1963, 7 folders.
1965-1968, 1970, 1971, n.d.

Box/Folder Contents

4/3 Awards and certificates, 1947, 1959, 1963, 1967, 1970

OS20-2 Certificates of Godfrey's appointment to the Cattle Sanitary Board of New
Mexico, 1949, 1951

OS20-2                     "La Exterminación de las 'Bolsas'de Infección puede significar la Salvacion
                                    de Millares de Cabezas de Ganado Sano que se encuentran en la zona
                                    Epizootica Principal," n.d.

OS20-2 "Las Lineas de Batalia contra la Aftosa muestran la Marcha de la Campaña," n.d.

OS20-2 Rodeo handbill, 1971

4/4 Newspaper clippings

4/5 Miscellaneous materials, 1945, 1947, 1950, 1965-1968, 1971, n.d.

Miscellany, 1943, 1945-1950, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 8 folders.
1962-1964, 1967, 1968, 1970, n.d.

Box/Folder Contents

4/6 "The Albert K. Mitchell Portrait Presentation," November 27, 1949

4/7 Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine for North America, 1964, n.d.

4/8 Bill Godfrey, 1943, 1945-1947, 1950, 1953

4/9 Constitutional Revision Commission, 1963

4/10 Electric and telephone cooperatives, 1950, 1962, n.d.

4/11 Medical papers, 1947, 1956, 1958, 1964, n.d.

4/12 Travel, 1962

4/13 Miscellaneous documents, 1943, 1945-1950, 1952, 1953, 1966-1968, 1970, n.d.

RANCHING ORGANIZATIONS, 1941-1970

American National Live Stock Association (became American                                                                     4 folders.
        National Cattlemen's Association in 1951), 1943-1951, 1953,
         1955-1957, 1959, 1961, 1966, 1967, n.d.

Box/Folder Contents

Correspondence

4/14 1943-1947

4/15 1948-1951, 1953, 1955-1957, 1959, 1961, 1966, n.d.

4/16 Constitution and by-laws, convention programs and resolutions, 1945-1950, 1966, 1967

5/1 Committee reports, publication and press releases, 1944, 1946-1949, 1953, 1959, 1966

Border States Foot and Mouth Disease Board, 1944, 3 folders.
1946-1949, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1960, n.d.

Box/Folder Contents

5/2 Correspondence, 1944, 1946-1949, 1951, 1954, 1960, n.d.

                                  By-laws and annual meeting proceedings of the Southwestern States and Republic
                                    of Mexico Livestock Sanitary Board Association, reports, resolutions, news
                                    releases and newspaper clippings

5/3 1946

5/4 1947, 1952, n.d.

Cattle Sanitary Board of New Mexico, 1941, 1946-1957, 1960, 1964, 1969. 2 folders.

Box/Folder Contents

5/5 Correspondence, 1946-1957, 1960

5/6 Legal documents, budget, report, rosters, 1941, 1946, 1949, 1951, 1953,
1955, 1956, 1964, 1969

National Livestock Brand Conference, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1956. 1 folder.

Box/Folder Contents

5/7 Constitution, correspondence, minutes and proceedings, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1956

New Mexico Cattle Growers' Association, 1942-1954, 12 folders.
1956-1961, 1963-1968, n.d.

Box/Folder Contents

5/8 Certificate of incorporation, by-laws and contracts, 1946, 1964, 1969, n.d.

Correspondence

5/9 1942-1945

5/10 January - May 1946

6/1 June - December 1946

6/2 January - May 1947

6/3 June - December 1947

6/4 1948

6/5 1949-1954, 1956-1958

6/6 1959-1961, 1963 -1968, n.d.

6/7 Financial documents, 1946-1948

6/8 Resolutions, 1942, 1945-1950, 1964, 1965, n.d.

6/9 Programs, committee lists, reports, address and news releases, 1946-1948,
1950, 1958, 1960, 1963, n.d.

New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, 1943, 1955-1957, 1 folder.
1962, 1963, n.d.

Box/Folder Contents

6/10 By-laws, policies, resolutions, correspondence and lists, 1943, 1955-1957,
1962, 1963, n.d.

New Mexico Wool Growers Association, 1945-1948, 1961. 1 folder.

Box/Folder Contents

6/11 Correspondence, program, resolution, 1945-1948, 1961

Other Organizations, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1958, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1970, n.d. 1 folder.

Box/Folder Contents

6/12 By-laws, minutes, resolutions, etc., representing several organizations,
1946, 1947, 1950, 1958, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1970, n.d.