Gutierrez, Jose Angel,

Political activist, elected official, and writer. Born Oct. 25, 1944, in Crystal City, Texas. Graduated from Crystal City High School (1962), Texas A. & I. (B.A., 1966), St. Mary's Univ. in San Antonio (M.A., 1968), and the Univ. of Texas at Austin (PhD., 1976). Founder or co-founder of several Chicano organizations in the 1960s and 1970s, including M.A.Y.O. and the Raza Unida Party. Involved in the political takeover of Crystal City's government by its Mexican American majority; elected president of the Crystal City school board in 1970 and Zavala County Judge in 1974. Resigned his post as judge in 1981 to take up college teaching. Later received a law degree from the University of Houston and practiced law in Dallas. Has worked as a labor organizer, a businessman, and as an administrator of public and private agencies.

From the guide to the José Angel Gutiérrez Papers 1984-15, 1991-43. 24158659., 1954-1990, (Benson Latin American Collection, The University of Texas at Austin)

Dr. José Angel Gutiérrez was a leading Chicano activist and political leader in the 1960s and 1970s in Texas. He was also one of the co-founders of La Raza Unida political party that helped to raise public consciousness of Chicano civil rights issues. Gutierrez grew up in Crystal City, Texas, and received a BA from Texas A&M University in Kingsville, Texas in 1966. He has also earned degrees from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas (M.A. 1968), the University of Texas at Austin (Ph.D. 1976) and the University of Houston, Bates College of Law, Houston, Texas (J.D. 1988). He has done other postdoctoral work at Stanford University, Colegio de México, University of Washington, and Centro de Estudios Económicos y Sociales del Tercer Mundo in Mexico City, Mexico.

Dr. Gutiérrez has been elected and appointed to public office since 1970. He served as President of the School Board for the Crystal City Independent School District from 1973-1974, Urban Renewal Commissioner for Crystal City, Texas from 1970 to 1972, and County Judge for Zavala County, Texas (1974-1978, re-elected 1978-1981).

Gutiérrez moved to Oregon in 1980 where he taught at Colegio Cesar Chavez in Mt. Angel, Oregon for a year. He then taught at Western Oregon State College in Monmouth, Oregon from 1981-1985, where he also served as Director of Minority Student Services. From 1983 to 1985 Gutiérrez served as Commissioner for the Oregon Commission on International Trade. In 1984 he unsuccessfully ran for Oregon State Representative. While in Oregon, Gutiérrez was also very active in social service projects serving as Director of the Hispanic Services Project for the United Way of the Columbia, Willamette, Portland area and Executive Director of the Commission on Economic Development Subcommittee of the National Catholic Conference's Campaign for Human Development. In 1986, he left Oregon and returned to Texas to attend law school.

Since 1986, Gutiérrez has served as Administrative Law Judge for the City of Dallas (1900-1992), and member of the Ethics Commission for the City of Dallas (1999-2000). He founded the Center for Mexican American Studies (CMAS) at the University of Texas at Arlington in 1994 and served as its Director until December 1996. Dr. Gutiérrez has received many honors including being named as one of the "100 Outstanding Latino Texans of the 20th Century" by Latino Monthly, January 2000, and "Distinguished Texas Hispanic" by Texas Hispanic Magazine, October 1996. He received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education in June 1995, and the National Council of La Raza's Chicano Hero Award in 1994.

From the guide to the José Angel Gutiérrez Papers MS 24., 1959-1991, (University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections)