![](https://www.hobbsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Screen-Shot-2017-08-09-at-1.45.14-PM-850x491.png)
New Mexico State Senator Billy Jess McKibben died Friday due to natural causes in Big Spring.
McKibben was born June 2, 1936 in Eunice. He was a graduate of Lovington High School, NMMI Junior College in Roswell and New Mexico State University.
McKibben served in the U.S. Air Force during Vietnam.
McKibben served as a New Mexico State Senator from 1980-2000. He was a real estate investor and developer in eastern New Mexico and west Texas.
![](https://www.hobbsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Social-marketplace-header-sm.png)
![](https://www.hobbsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Social-marketplace-header-sm.png)