Rio Arriba Political Heavyweight Emilio Naranjo Passes Away at 92

According to an xt">article in the Rio Grande Sun, Northern New Mexico's long-time Democratic patriarch, Emilio Naranjo, passed away this morning:

Longtime Rio Arriba County political boss Emilio Naranjo, 92, died Thursday morning (11/13). Naranjo’s daughter Margarita Naranjo confirmed that Naranjo died in Albuquerque. A funeral will be held in Española, but specific arrangements have not yet been made, she said.

A family member wishing to remain anonymous said Emilio Naranjo died in his sleep at the home of his youngest son, Raul. Naranjo was where he wanted to be, the family member said. Emilio Naranjo had been doing fine on Wednesday (11/12) but suffered from heart problems, the family member said.

The powerful and often controversial Emilio Naranjo was a state senator from 1977 to 1994 and served as Rio Arriba County Democratic Party chairman from 1952 to 1995. In 1958, and again in 1970, he was elected Rio Arriba County sheriff. He was the top political figure in Rio Arriba for more than 40 years beginning in the 1950s, and was still considered to be a politico with clout in Northern New Mexico in his later years. Many in politics still sought his advice and counsel, and his blessing.

A recent article in the Santa Fe New Mexican (with photos) recapped Naranjo's life:

Naranjo was born April 21, 1916, in the small community of Guachupangue, between Santa Clara Pueblo and Española. His parents were Alejandrino Naranjo and Delfinia Vigil. He is a descendant of José Naranjo, who settled in the area in the late 1600s. While attending El Rito's Normal School in the 1930s, he met his first wife, Mary Rodriguez, who was from Coyote. The couple had nine children and divorced in 1962.

... Around the start of his political career, he married Mary Polaco, and they had seven children; that marriage also ended in divorce. Naranjo has 25 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild from his first marriage. From his second marriage, he has 12 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

... Most of Naranjo's 16 children and their offspring live in different parts of the state, with two of his children living in Maryland and Virginia. Two of his sons work in the political arena. His eldest son, Benny, from his first marriage, is an assistant district attorney in Valencia County. Benny Naranjo was the sheriff in charge of the famous raid on the Tierra Amarilla courthouse on June 5, 1967.

Larry Naranjo, the eldest son from his second marriage, is on the Rio Rancho City Council. Naranjo's political zeal has also trickled down to the third generation, to Salazar's 18-year-old daughter, Mary, who is an honor student at Los Alamos High School. As Salazar says, "Although my daughter is still in high school, she's taking political science classes at (The University of New Mexico-Los Alamos) because she very interested in politics."

Naranjo was hospitalized last month at St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe.

More on Naranjo's life and passing at The New Mexican.