John J. Dempsey

John Joseph Dempsey was a United States Representative from New Mexico who also served as the 13th governor of New Mexico. He was born in White Haven, Pennsylvania, where he attended grade school. Employed as a telegrapher, he held various positions with the Brooklyn Union Elevator Company. He was the vice president of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company until 1919 when he entered the oil business in Oklahoma and became vice president of the Continental Oil and Asphalt Company. He moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1920 and was an independent oil operator and in 1928 became president of the United States Asphalt Company.