Edmund G. Ross: Soldier, Senator, Abolitionist

Acknowledgments

xiii Acknowledgments| The years of researching and writing this biography brought me in touch with many new friends and into a closer relationship with old friends. I will attempt to acknowledge the help I received from those who are so deserving of recognition and appreciation, and extend my sincere apologies to anyone I may have failed to mention. As you might expect, my wife, Mary, is at the top of the list. Family members used to say she could be a great trial lawyer, and her careful reading of each chapter, followed by penetrating questions and comments, leaves me without a doubt this is true. She’s been a wonderful partner and love for more than fifty years. Ann Paden was my editor in the years before I was ready to submit the manuscript to the University of New Mexico Press, and more broadly speaking, she was a coach who advised and encouraged, making me believe I could do the work necessary to finish the Ross story. I have Denis Norlander, another good friend, to thank both for introducing me to Ann and for her belief that a definitive biography of Edmund G. Ross was needed. Ann Marlowe, copy editor extraordinaire, helped me through the final stage of polishing the manuscript. xiv < acknowledgments Edmund and Fannie Ross’s descendants must be recognized for their help. Foremost is Lillian Ross Leis (1849–1945) whose memoirs of her father were an invaluable source of information which I used extensively. Lillian longedforherfathertoberememberedandunderstood.EdmundPitt“Ned” Ross and Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross Lackmann, Ross’s great-grandchildren, helped with family stories and other recollections handed down through the generations. Betsy’s daughter, Stephanie Padilla, the Ross family genealogist and archivist, generously devoted a huge amount of her time digging out facts, stories, documents, and photos. I am most grateful to Stephanie and hope I did not impose on her good-natured help too often. Two other descendants, Steven Edmund Ross (Ned’s son) and Susan K. Woodward (granddaughter of Eddie Ross Cobb), gave up an evening to sort through boxes of family memorabilia at Steve’s house. I was privileged to have four superb educators commit to reading the manuscript in its early stages. Among them were three widely published authors from the University of New Mexico: David E. Stuart, Richard A. Melzer, and Vincent Barrett Price. Spencer Wilson, my friend from Historic Albuquerque, Inc., and emeritus professor of history at New Mexico Tech, likewise read the early manuscript and shared his comments. The completed manuscript was read by two distinguished scholars for the University of New Mexico Press: David L. Caffey, a board member of the Historical Society of New Mexico, member of the New Mexico State Library Commission, and author of a number of books and articles on New Mexico history, and Mark Weitz, practicing attorney, author, and noted Civil War and constitutional law historian. The analysis and comments of all of these readers were superb and made me aware that there is a kind of kinship among historians who are willing to spend hours helping one another preserve history to meet the goal of “getting it right.” Friends from Historic Albuquerque, Inc., helped me as well. Diane Schaller, HAI president, devoted a great deal of time to retrieving nineteenth-century newspaper articles, for which I am most grateful. Ann Carson alerted me to a number of excellent sources about Vinnie Ream. I wish to also express my appreciation to other HAI members, particularly Mo Palmer, Deb Slaney, Glenn Fye, Dick Berg, Ray Shortridge, Joe Sabatini, and Richard Avery, all of whom encouraged me through the long process. The librarians and archivists at various institutions were good listeners and retrievers. I had excellent help at the Kansas State Historical Society, the Center for Southwest Research at the University of New Mexico, the acknowledgments = xv New Mexico State Library and State Archives in Santa Fe, the Albuquerque/ Bernalillo County Library System, the Albuquerque Museum, and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. As important as word processing is and as much as I appreciate its magical capabilities, inevitably technical problems arose that were beyond my limited skills. I could always count on one or the other of my two sons, Chris and Brian, to come to my rescue. My good friend Bob Tapscott carefully guided me through problems with endnotes and pagination. Julie Dunleavy, another dear friend, read an account of Jim Lane’s last days and helped me understand the demons that likely drove him to end his own life. I would also like to acknowledge friends of many years standing, Walter Haussamen and his wife Frances, both longtime students of New Mexico history. Walter’s detailed notes on early Ross family photographs were particularly helpful. Of course, the staff at the University of New Mexico Press patiently guided me through the complex process of book publication. In particular I want to express appreciation to W. Clark Whitehorn, Maya Allen-Gallegos, Elizabeth “Beth” Hadas, James Ayers, and Marie Landau. Thanks also to Karen Mazur for the cover design and to my good friend Tom Antreasian who once again shared his graphic design ideas. ...