Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-04-07
AUDITOR L. M. ORTIZ
The New Territorial Auditor Of Pub
lie Accounts Took Charge OF
the Office Today,
HAS AN HONORABLE RECORD
A Life Long Career of Commercial Success
and Official Integrity in Business
Transactions Extending Into
Old Mexico.

Hon. Luis NJ. Ortiz, of Los Luceros,
Rio Arriba county, arrived Wednesday
evening from the north, and went over
the books and routine of the territorial
auditors office yesterday, preparatory
to taking active charge today, when eX-
Auditor Garcia ~retires.
Mr.. Ortiz is destined to be a popular
official, and has long been one of the
foremost and best-known citizens of the
territory. A biographical sketch of
him will be read with much interest by
the people of New Mexico.
Auditor Ortiz was born at Los Luce
ros November 20, 1S4S, the son of Hon.
Gaspar and Magdalena Ortiz. His ia
Their was a veteran of the war with
Mexico, and fought on the Union side
as captain and major in the civil war.
For a number of years he was a pro-
bate Judge of Santa Fe county. Young
Luis was brought to Santa Fe by his
parents when five years old, and lived
here for some Is years, receiving a good
education at st. Michael's college. He
afterward worked for his father as a
merchant, and in July, 1862, Mr.. Ortiz
went to Kansas City with bull teams to
bring back supplies for his fathers bus
mess, making the trip to the river in
40 days, a little less than the time re-
CURED o to make the trip from New
York to Manila via the SueZ canal.
| INnA-, .r IS,+,- H. o+,,,. %,;n ,,,D
made via st. Louis by river, the river
trip consuming the greater part of a
week, and the trip westward occupied
| 35 days. Mr.. Ortiz freighted on business
trips from Santa Fe into old Mexico
three times, going as far as Guadalaja-
ra. In fact, the young man showed
such thorough good business sense
that his father trusted him to manage
branch stores at Guadalajara, Durango
and Chihuahua. This was in 1869. In
the latter year Mr.. Ortiz returned to
Santa Fe and was married to Miss Eliza
Clark of Los Luceros, whom he had
known since Childhood. She was the
daughter of Elias T Clark, formerly
| clerk of the district court. They have
| five children, one son and four daugh-
ters.
In 1880 Mr.. Ortiz removed to Los Lu-
ceros, and in 1882 was chosen to the
lower house of the legislature, where he
distinguished himself as an upright and
conscientious legislator. He also served
as county clerk and assessor of Rio Ar
riba county in 1888 and 1884, and as sher-
if of that county in 1878. While liv-
ing in Los Luceros Mr.. Ortiz conducted
a fruit farm and store. He has been
uniformly successful in his commercial
transactions, and has shown such good
business ability that his judgment was
always regarded as safe by those seek
| ritorial auditor March 16 of this year,
and confirmed by the council shortly
afterward. So at the age of 81 Mr.. Or
tiz comes to the important office of aud
itor of public accounts with ripe eXpe-
rience and an honorable RECORD as a
| public man, that are a guarantee of a
J capable maintenance of office, and that
the continuance Of his official life as
heretofore will be a credit to a credit
to the territory and to the Republican
party, with which he has always affili-
ated and by whose standard he has re-
manned,