The 9th New Mexico Territorial Legislature met in Santa Fe from December 5, 1859, to February 2, 1860.
Territorial Council President: José Guadalupe Gallegos
Name District Notes Merrill Ashurst Santa Fe Francisco Tomas Cabeza de Baca Santa Ana Spruce M. Baird Bernalillo Joaquin A. Bazan Valencia José Guadalupe Gallegos San Miguel Pedro Bautista Gallegos Rio Arriba Francisco Lopez San Miguel Ignacio Orrantia Doña Ana Did not attend session Antonio José Ortiz Taos Antonio Maria Pacheco Rio Arriba Felipe Romero Taos José Antonio Torres Socorro Santiago Valdez Taos
House of Representatives Speaker: Levi J. Keithly (December 5, 1859 - January 18, 1860)Celso Cuellar y Medina (January 18, 1860 - February 2, 1860)
NameDistrict Notes Fernando Aragon Bernalillo Teodoro Baca San Miguel Joaquin Chavez Santa Fe José Maria Chavez Rio Arriba Celso Cuellar y Medina Socorro Pablo Delgado Santa Fe Mr. Duran Valencia Did not attend session Nasario Gallegos Taos Candelario Garcia Socorro Victor Garcia Taos Finis E. Kavanaugh Santa Fe Levi J. Keithly San Miguel Speaker position declared vacant January 18, 1860; afterwards requested leave and did not attend the remainder of the session Miguel Antonio Lovato Bernalillo Isidoro Martin Rio Arriba Matias Medina Taos Juan Montoya Santa Ana Miguel Ortiz Taos Manuel S. Salazar Rio Arriba Mauricio Sanchez Valencia Ramon Sena y Rivera Santa Fe Agustin Sisneros Rio Arriba Antonio Tafoya San Miguel Juan Torres Bernalillo Vicente Trujillo Rio Arriba Agapito Vigil Taos
Doña Ana County was embroiled in an effort to break away from New Mexico and establish a new territory of Arizona in the southern part of the territory and the Gadsden Purchase lands. As a result, its Council and House members did not attend and the name of its representative elected to the House, if there was one, is not known. The auditor noted that the county had not paid any of its expected returns into the territorial treasury. Also, the name "Duran" appears among the House's assignments of members to standing committees; this seems to be the representative elected to the second seat allocated to Valencia County, but he also did not appear at any point in the session.
The change in Speaker was precipitated when Keithly introduced on January 17, 1860, an act to repeal New Mexico's slavery law, which had just been adopted at the close of the previous legislature. His proposed repeal was not immediately rejected by the House, which apparently prompted great concern among territorial officials who largely aligned with the South. Samuel B. Watrous, a landowner who supported the repeal, alleged that once the House adjourned for the day, they recruited members to an event that evening at the home of Oliver P. Hovey, one of the legislation's sponsors when it passed the previous session. Watrous claimed the representatives who attended were plied with liquor and bribes in gold coin, resulting in a turnabout the next day.
When the House met again, Keithly returned to find himself accused of being a "Black Republican" (i.e. an abolitionist), and that a coalition of members, many of whom had seemed sympathetic to his bill the day before, were organizing his deposition as Speaker. He strenuously denied being an abolitionist. African slavery was hardly present in New Mexico aside from a handful of personal servants who had accompanied federal troops or territorial officials from their home states. Most supporters of repeal may have favored excluding blacks from the territory entirely, both free and slave. However, the House refused Keithly's protests regarding the irregularity of his removal, so he requested leave and departed (though he would be elected again to the House in the next legislature).
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