Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Octaviano Larrazolo
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| United States Senator from New Mexico |
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| In office December 7, 1928 – March 3, 1929 |
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| Preceded by | Bronson M. Cutting |
| Succeeded by | Bronson M. Cutting |
| 4th Governor of New Mexico | |
| In office January 1, 1919 – January 1, 1921 |
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| Lieutenant | Benjamin F. Pankey |
| Preceded by | Washington Lindsey |
| Succeeded by | Merritt C. Mechem |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo
December 7, 1859 Valle de Allende, Mexico |
| Died | April 7, 1930 (aged 70) Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican (1884–1895, 1911–1930) Democratic (1895–1911) |
| Education | St. Michael's College (BA) |
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo (born December 7, 1859 – died April 7, 1930) was an important American politician. He was the fourth governor of New Mexico and also served as a U.S. Senator. He made history as the first Mexican-American and first Hispanic person to become a U.S. Senator. He was also the first Latino to be both a Senator and Governor in New Mexico.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Larrazolo was born in Valle de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico, on December 7, 1859. His family was wealthy, and he learned to read and write at home. When he was young, French soldiers attacked his family's home. This happened because his family supported Benito Juarez in his fight against the French.
In 1870, at age eleven, Larrazolo moved to Tucson, Arizona Territory. He went to live with Jean Salpointe, a bishop from France. Larrazolo wanted to study to become a priest. His family had lost their money, so they could not pay for his schooling.
After studying with the bishop, Larrazolo went to St. Michael's College in Santa Fe. He studied theology there and graduated in 1876 when he was 18. He thought about becoming a priest, but instead, he became a teacher. He also taught in El Paso County, Texas. While teaching, he studied law at night. In 1884, he became a U.S. citizen to become a lawyer. That same year, he joined the Republican Party in Texas.
Start in Politics
Larrazolo became a lawyer in Texas in 1888. He was elected as a district attorney for Western Texas in 1890. He was reelected in 1892 and held the job until 1894.
In 1895, Larrazolo moved to Las Vegas, New Mexico Territory. He worked as a lawyer there. He also became active in Democratic politics. He focused on getting civil rights for Mexicans and Hispanos. These groups made up two-thirds of New Mexico's population. It was hard for him to succeed as a Democrat. Most Latinos at that time were Republicans. He lost elections to become a delegate to Congress in 1900, 1906, and 1908.
Fighting for Hispanic Rights
In 1910, Larrazolo spoke out against "machine politics" in New Mexico. He felt these political groups were taking advantage of Hispanic voters. He worried that New Mexico might become like the Southern states. In those states, Jim Crow laws took away rights from African Americans.
Larrazolo's speech was very important. He made both Republicans and Democrats pay attention to the concerns of Hispanic people. He became a strong leader for his generation. He told Hispanic people to unite and protect their rights. He warned them not to let others control them. He said they must support the new constitution. This constitution would protect their rights and the rights of their children.
New Mexico Statehood
In 1911, New Mexico held a meeting to prepare to become a state. This was called a constitutional convention. Larrazolo was one of the Latino delegates chosen to attend. He wanted half of all state nominees to be Hispanic. This was because Hispanic people made up 60% of New Mexico's population. The Democratic Party did not agree to his request.
Despite this, Larrazolo helped add important protections for Latinos in the New Mexico Constitution. He and other delegates insisted that Spanish-speaking people's rights be protected. They feared that if New Mexico became a state, segregation rules might be used against Latinos.
Protecting Rights in the Constitution
Larrazolo and the other Latino delegates succeeded. They put pro-Latino rules and language into the new state constitution.
- The Bill of Rights (Article II Section V) said that rights given to New Mexico's people by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo "shall be preserved inviolate." This meant these rights could not be taken away.
- The Education Article (XII., Section 8) allowed training for teachers. This training would help them teach in both English and Spanish. This was to help Spanish-speaking students.
- Section ten of the article made sure that children of Spanish descent could go to public schools. It also stopped separate schools from being created.
The state Democrats tried to stop the constitution from being approved because of these rules. This made Larrazolo switch back to the Republican Party. He remained a Republican for the rest of his life.
Governor of New Mexico
Because Larrazolo fought so hard for Latino rights, some politicians in New Mexico called him a "race agitator." But many Latinos were very happy with his work. His popularity grew across New Mexico. This led the New Mexico Republican party to choose him to run for governor.
In 1918, he was elected Governor of the State of New Mexico. He was the first Mexican-born Latino to become governor of New Mexico. His victory was close, but it showed that he could truly speak for the Spanish-speaking people.
During his time as governor, he had both challenges and successes.
- In his first year, he declared martial law to stop a coal mining strike. This meant the military took control to keep order.
- He was criticized for pardoning Mexican troops. These troops had raided parts of New Mexico with Pancho Villa. Larrazolo believed they were just following orders.
- He supported and signed a new income tax law. This angered some members of his Republican party.
- He was praised for supporting the creation of the League of Nations.
- Larrazolo also supported bilingual education. He worked for the civil rights of Mexican immigrants in the state.
- He was a strong supporter of the women's right to vote amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Later Career and Legacy
Larrazolo often disagreed with his own Republican party while he was governor. Because of this, the New Mexico Republican Party did not choose him to run for governor again. He briefly returned to El Paso, Texas, to practice law. He opened a law firm there and worked in New Mexico and Mexico. In 1922, he also opened an office in Albuquerque.
He did not stay out of politics for long. In 1923, the New Mexico state legislature suggested him to become governor of Puerto Rico. He did not get the job. But this made him popular again in politics. He ran for a judge position on the New Mexico supreme court in 1924 but lost.
However, in 1927, he was elected to the New Mexico State House of Representatives. Later that year, the U.S. Senator from New Mexico, Andrieus Jones, died. Larrazolo ran for Jones's remaining term. On November 6, 1928, he won the election. This made Larrazolo the first Mexican-American to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Sadly, he was very old and sick by this time. He could only attend one session of Congress. He introduced only one bill. This bill asked for an industrial school in New Mexico for Spanish-speaking youth. It aimed to help them get equal opportunities. Octaviano Larrazolo died on April 7, 1930. His work helped protect the rights of Hispanic people in New Mexico and beyond.
See also
In Spanish: Octaviano Larrazolo para niños
