As a congressman from 1969 to 1989, he represented a swath of northern New Mexico in a majority-Democratic district and made sure to take care of regional interests.

“If I’m remembered for anything,” he once said, “I’d rather be remembered for constituent service than national legislation.”

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President George H.W. Bush then tapped him for his Cabinet.

At Interior, Mr. Luján sought to strike a balance between business interests and the Endangered Species Act, which he said was too tough on regional economies.

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He said proposed federal protection of the northern spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest would cost 31,000 timber jobs. Calling those consequences unacceptable, Mr. Luján launched an exemption process by convening a little-used committee with the power to allow logging to continue despite the threat to the owl.

“No solution to this problem could be found short of this action,” he said, pointing to major economic disruptions to Northwest timber towns.

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The Cabinet-level panel, known as the “God Squad” because of its authority to allow species to become extinct, was disbanded later amid legal challenges.

Environmentalists also recoiled when Mr. Luján shrugged off efforts to protect the Mount Graham red squirrel in Arizona.

“Do we have to save every subspecies?” he said. “Nobody’s told me the difference between a red squirrel, a black one or a brown one.”

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Mr. Luján remained in the Cabinet until the end of Bush’s term in January 1993. Five minutes before the Republican president left office, he tried to transfer federally owned desert land in Southern California that he and then-California Gov. Pete Wilson (R) wanted for a nuclear waste dump.

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Mr. Luján’s successor, Bruce Babbitt, rescinded the order, and courts determined Mr. Luján acted improperly.

At the same time, Mr. Luján was a prime mover in creating Petroglyphs National Monument, on the rugged volcanic mesa located west of Albuquerque, to protect thousands of prehistoric and historic petroglyphs. After leaving government, Mr. Luján became a lobbyist for a development company that owned petroglyph-studded land.

José Manuel Luján Jr. was born on a farm near San Ildefonso Pueblo, N.M., on May 12, 1928, and completed high school in Santa Fe. His mother was a teacher who also served as the county clerk in Santa Fe County. His father, initially a teacher, who started an insurance agency and was mayor of Santa Fe in the 1940s, made unsuccessful bids for Congress and governor.

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The younger Luján received a bachelor’s degree in 1950 from St. Michael’s College (now the Santa Fe University of Art and Design) and worked for his father’s business in Albuquerque while entering politics.

He became vice chairman of the state GOP and lost a 1964 race for state Senate. Four years later, he beat five opponents in the primary and then unseated Thomas Morris (D) by positioning himself as a much-needed champion of constituent concerns.

He then became ranking Republican on the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee.

In addition to his wife of 70 years, survivors include three children, Terra Everett and Robert “Jeff” Luján, both of Albuquerque, and Barbara Luján of Coleman, Tex.; two brothers; a sister; and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A son, James “Jay” Luján, died in 2014.