Dennis Chávez

Dionisio "Dennis" Chávez (April 8, 1888November 18, 1962) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1931 to 1935, and in the United States Senate from 1935 to 1962. He was the first Hispanic person to be elected to a full term in the Senate and the first U.S. Senator to be born in New Mexico, which was still a territory at the time of his birth. In 1920, he became the first Latino lawyer in the United States.

Early life

Chávez was born in Los Chavez in the New Mexico Territory. His parents, David and Paz Chávez, were members of families that had lived in Los Chavez for generations. There was no school in that town. In 1895, David Chávez moved his family to the Barelas section of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to work on the railroad and Dennis attended school until 7th grade when financial hardships necessitated that he work. His first job was delivering groceries at the Highland Grocery store. Later on, he studied engineering and surveying at night, and worked as an engineer for the City of Albuquerque for several years. Dennis's younger brother, David Chávez, served as the 34th Mayor of Santa Fe, a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico, and as a member of the New Mexico Supreme Court.

Career

Early career

Chávez worked briefly as editor of a Belen weekly newspaper, as a court interpreter, and as a private contractor until 1916, when he obtained temporary employment as a Spanish interpreter for Senator Andrieus A. Jones' election campaign. In 1917, he was offered a position as assistant executive clerk of the Senate in Washington, D.C., by Senator Jones. He accepted this position, passed a special admission exam at Georgetown University Law Center and studied law at night. He graduated from Georgetown in 1920,

House

In 1922, Chávez was elected to the New Mexico state legislature,

Personal life

thumb|[[attributed coat of arms of Dennis Chávez]]

In 1911, Chávez married Imelda Espinosa, a member of a prominent New Mexico family. In 1914, they moved to Belen. The couple had three children: Dennis, Jr., Gloria and Ymelda.

Dennis Chávez died of cancer, attributed to his being a lifelong smoker, in Washington, D.C., on November 18, 1962, and was buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Congress honored his memory with a minute of silence, and then-Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke at his funeral. At the time of his death, he was fourth-ranking in Senate seniority.

Legacy

thumb|150px|right|[[Dennis Chávez (de Weldon)|Statue of Dennis Chávez by Felix de Weldon in the National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol.]]

Chávez, only the second-ever Hispanic member of the U.S. Senate, was the first U.S.-born Hispanic elected to the Senate (Octaviano Larrazolo was born in Mexico). He was also the first person born in New Mexico elected by the state to the Senate. By a large margin, he is the longest-serving Hispanic US senator.

He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 35¢ Great Americans series (1980–2000) postage stamp.

His daughter, Ymelda Chavez Dixon, wrote a successful women's column for the Washington Evening Star from 1965 to 1981 called "Your Date with Ymelda."

A granddaughter, Gloria Tristani, followed in public service, serving as chair of the New Mexico State Corporations Commission in 1996, as a member of the Federal Communications Commission from 1997 to 2001, and as the Democratic nominee for New Mexico's other U.S. Senate seat in 2002 where she lost to Senator Pete Domenici.

References

External links

The Dennis Chavez Foundation – Established in 1988
Documentary Film About Dennis Chavez