Merritt Cramer Mechem (October 10, 1870 – May 24, 1946) was an American politician who served as territorial Supreme Court justice and fifth governor of New Mexico.

In 1909 President Taft appointed him a justice of the New Mexico Territorial Supreme Court where he served until 1911.

On the twelfth of February 1910, in Santa Fe, Judge Mechem was married to Miss Eleanor Frances O’Heir,[2][1] a native of Chicago, Illinois.

The contempt conviction was speedily reversed, but the underlying libel case was not dismissed until October 1919.

[3] In 1920 he became the Republican candidate for governor and won by the largest percentage vote of any previous New Mexico gubernatorial election.