Shot a Judge, and Invented the Parking Meter

Educator, lawyer, editor, inventor, entrepreneur, and civic booster, Carl Magee helped shape New Mexico and Oklahoma in the years after gaining statehood, garnering fame along the way. Jack McElroy's fascinating biography of "Citizen Carl" tells the story of a man whose exploits were as diverse and complex as the American Southwest he loved. Magee battled the Republican machine in New Mexico, a fight that sent Fall to prison in the Teapot Dome scandal. Later, working is in Oklahoma City, he solved the city's downtown parking problem by inventing the parking meter. Now mostly forgotten, Magee's legacy lives on, and many of the issues he confronted--press freedom, gun violence, public corruption, and demagoguery--remain relevant today.     296 pages  pb