Walter, Paul A. F.

Walter was a prominent New Mexican who served as Secretary of the School of American Archaeology and later the School of American Research, Associate Director of the Museum of New Mexico, and President of the Historical Society of New Mexico.

From the description of Paul A. F. Walter papers, 1913-1941. (Museum of New Mexico Library). WorldCat record id: 37435013

Paul A.F. Walter came to Santa Fe in 1899 at which time he started as a reporter for the local newspaper, The New Mexican. Later in 1908, he became owner of the newspaper. From 1902 to 1909 he served as the postmaster of Santa Fe. Walter was the Associate Director and Secretary of the Museum of New Mexico from 1913 to 1921. And in 1913 he founded the Museum publication "El Palacio".

Along with other prominent New Mexicans, Walter founded the New Mexico Historical Review in 1929 and served as co-editor of that journal until 1963. He was the president New Mexico Historical Society from 1926 to 1959.

From the guide to the Paul A. F. Walter Papers, 1913-1941, (Museum of New Mexico. Fray Angélico Chávez History Library.)

The New Mexico Historical Review (NMHR) was initiated by Lansing B. Bloom and Paul A. F. Walter in January of 1926. Its mission was to "publish legitimate historical material of New Mexican and regional interest." The region was understood to include "the area of the Spanish Colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain North from Mexico City, since the earlier history of New Mexico is an integral part of the history of the expansion of the Northern frontier of New Spain." NMHR would "welcome papers from experts in other fields when they are slanted to the historical point of view; anthropology, archaeology, art, economics, ethnology, geography, law, music, and sociology... Memoirs, diaries, letters, and the like" were also welcome.

Lansing B. Bloom, an ordained Presbyterian minister, came to New Mexico in 1912 and worked at several missions including the Jemez Pueblo church before accepting a staff position with the Museum of New Mexico and School of American Research in 1917. In 1924, Bloom became a fellow of the Historical Society of New Mexico, where he held the position of secretary until his death in 1946. He served as co-editor of the New Mexico Historical Review, with Paul A. F. Walter, from its inception until 1946, which coincided with his teaching duties in the Department of History at the University of New Mexico.

Paul A.F. Walter came to New Mexico in the early 1900's. In 1914, he established El Palacio, the journal of the Museum of New Mexico, which he edited until 1944. Walter served as president of the Historical Society of New Mexico from 1926-1959 and as co-editor the New Mexico Historical Review (with Lansing Bloom) from the first issue until his retirement from the Society in 1963. Walter died in 1966.

Frank Driver Reeve succeeded Bloom as co-editor with Walter from 1946-1963. He remained as editor until 1964. Reeve made significant contributions in the study of the history of New Mexico and the Southwest. He is best known for his scholarly research on the Navajo from Colonial times through the nineteenth-century, and his three volume History of New Mexico. He was on the faculty of the University of New Mexico for 36 years, retiring in 1964. He suffered from bad health through most of his life and died on December 31, 1967.

Eleanor B. Adams assumed the duties of editor of the Review from 1964 until 1975. The New Mexico Historical Review has seen a succession of highly qualified editors who have furthered the mission of the founders until the present day. The New Mexico Historical Review has been published by the University of New Mexico since 1963.

From the guide to the New Mexico Historical Review Records, 1926-1985, (University of New Mexico. Center for Southwest Research.)