Born on an Air Force base in Garden City, New York, Jerilou Hammett has been active in the civic life of Santa Fe since moving there in 1976. She served as the first director of consumer education for the State of New Mexico. Ms. Hammett has been a member of the Santa Fe Community Press and the Board of Directors of the New Life Co-op. Active in New Mexico prison reform, she served as a Charter Member of Citizens for Prison Change and was on the Advisory Board for Concerned Offenders for Youth Awareness at the New Mexico State Penitentiary.
Ms. Hammett has run for the Santa Fe City Council, and has been a frequent presence at meetings. A neighborhood organizer, she has worked for responsible development of Santa Fe. She researched and wrote the original Living Wage Ordinance.
Kingsley Hammett has been a journalist since 1978. He has written many books and articles about Santa Fe, including Santa Fe: A Walk Through Time and, with his wife Jerilou, The Essence of Santa Fe: From a Way of Life to a Style . He has also authored three books about New Mexican furniture.
Both Hammetts were speechwriters and advisors for Santa Fe mayor Debbie Jaramillo prior to and during her 1994-1998 term. The Hammetts also founded “DESIGNER/builder” magazine and a publishing company, Fine Additions, Inc.
From the guide to the Jerilou and Kingsley Hammett Collection, 1977-2008, (New Mexico History Museum, Fray Angélico Chávez History Library)
