Castro, Raul H., 1916-

Raul Hector Castro was born June 12, 1916, in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico. He was one of fourteen children- his father was a copper miner and his mother was a midwife. He lived in Mexico as a child until his family moved to the Douglas, Arizona area in 1926. While attending Douglas High School, Castro played football, edited the school newspaper, and graduated with honors. He then attended Arizona State Teacher's College (now Northern Arizona University) on a football scholarship and was captain of the track team and the boxing team. Known as the "Douglas Destroyer," Castro was an undefeated boxer while in college and he won most of his bouts by knockout. He received a B.A. in education in 1939 and he became a U.S. citizen that same year.

Castro spent the next five years working as a foreign-service clerk for the U.S. State Department in Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. He then moved to Tucson and became a Spanish instructor at the University of Arizona. While at the university, Castro was accepted into the law school. He paid his way through law school by continuing to teach Spanish courses. He earned his law degree and was admitted to the Arizona State Bar in 1949. After spending five years in private practice, Castro was elected Pima County Attorney in 1954. In 1958 he was elected as a Pima County Superior Court judge. He served on the bench until 1964, including three years of service as a juvenile court judge.

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