Larrazolo, Octaviano, 1859-1930

Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo (December 7, 1859 – April 7, 1930) was a Republican politician who served as the fourth governor of New Mexico and a United States senator. He was the first Mexican-American and first Hispanic United States Senator. He was New Mexico's first Latino Senator and governor.

Born in Valle de Allende in Chihuahua, Mexico, he left Mexico for Tucson, Arizona Territory, under the care of Jean Salpointe, a French-born bishop of Arizona. Larrazolo left with the bishop because he intended to study theology to become a priest and because his family had fallen into bankruptcy and could not support his schooling. After completing his primary studies with the bishop, Larrazolo studied theology at the St. Michael's College at Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory, graduating in 1876 at the age of 18. He considered entering the priesthood right after his graduation but secured a teaching position instead; he later also taught in El Paso County, Texas. During this time, he started studying law; he taught in the day and studied law at night. On December 11, 1884, Larrazolo became a U.S. citizen in order to prepare himself to become a lawyer. In this same year, he registered with the Texas State Republican Party.

Larrazolo was admitted to the Texas state bar in 1888. He was elected district attorney for the Western District of Texas in 1890 and reelected in 1892. He held the position until 1894. Larrazolo moved to Las Vegas, New Mexico Territory, in 1895. He practiced law in that town and became involved in Democratic politics and focused on civil rights for the Mexicans and Hispanos who comprised two-thirds of New Mexico's population. Larrazolo had difficulty finding success as a Democrat because most Latinos identified as Republicans. Larrazolo ultimately broke with the Democrats in 1911.

In 1910, Larrazolo attacked the machine politics in New Mexico that he felt were exploiting Hispanic voters across the state. He feared New Mexico was close to becoming like the South where Jim Crow laws stripped African Americans of their rights. This speech is considered a milestone; he forced both Republicans and Democrats to acknowledge the concerns of Hispanics in New Mexico and became the most vocal leader in his generation. His popularity throughout New Mexico caused the New Mexico Republican party to nominate him for governor of New Mexico in 1918. In office, he advocated for bilingual education and supported the civil rights of Mexican immigrants in the state. He was also a supporter of the women's suffrage amendment to the United States Constitution. After failing to be renominated, he briefly returned to El Paso County, Texas to practice law.

After failing in his bid to become governor of Puerto Rico and a justice on the New Mexico Supreme Court, Larrazolo was elected to the New Mexico State House of Representatives in 1927. Shortly after Larrazolo won re-election to New Mexico’s house of representatives, Democratic U.S. Senator Andrieus A. Jones died. Republican Bronson M. Cutting, who had been appointed to Jones’s seat, asked Larrazolo to run for the unexpired term set to end six months later on March 4, 1929. Larrazolo won the Senate race that year with nearly 56 percent of the vote, becoming the first Hispanic Senator. Larrazolo was appointed to the Agriculture and Forestry, Public Lands and Surveys, and Territories and Insular Possessions Committees, but shortly into his tenure he came down with the flu. Having missed votes because of his illness, he went home over the winter recess. Returning to Washington shortly after the beginning of the new year, Larrazolo introduced S. 5374 "to provide for a military and industrial school for boys and girls in the State of New Mexico." It would be his only legislative action. Ten days later, on January 25, a gravely ill Larrazolo returned to New Mexico for good. While at home, Larrazolo suffered a stroke, and his formal term in the Senate ended in March as he recuperated with his family. Larrazolo’s health continued to deteriorate over the next year. He died on April 7, 1930.