Oral history interview with Carlos Truan, 1998 [videorecording].

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Oral history interview with Carlos Truan, 1998 [videorecording].

Senator Truan discusses being raised by a single mother in Kingsville, Texas, and the various jobs he held to contribute to the support of the family and to pay for his college education. He reveals his early exposure to politics and to prejudice in his many successful campaigns for student office. He describes his work as an insurance salesman in South Texas and his active participation in many organizations and actions in support of Mexican Americans. Truan expresses his opinion on the rivalry for leadership of Texas Mexican Americans between Dr. Hector García and William Bonilla. Senator Truan talks about his campaigns as a Democrat for state representative and state senator, provides his reasons for running for the offices, and summarizes his accomplishments in each body. He states his view that the meaning of the Raza Unida political movement is larger than the political party of the same name, and discusses the effects of his political involvement. He attributes his own freedom to be outspoken on political issues to the flexibility of his employment as an insurance agent, and gives succinct answers to questions about Mexican American leadership, Mexican American organizations, and ethnic relations.

1 videocassette (VHS) (1 hr., 11 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 39 p. ; 28 cm.

Related Entities

There are 5 Entities related to this resource.

University of Texas at Arlington. Center for Mexican American Studies

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63c6s61 (corporateBody)

Garcia, Hector P., -1996

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6jh4kxm (person)

Gutiérrez, José Angel,

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62r404b (person)

José Angel Gutierrez was born Oct. 25, 1944, in Crystal City, Texas. An activist, educator, organizer, and lawyer, Gutierrez co-founded the La Raza Unida Party and played many leadership roles in the early Chicano civil rights movement. He served as President of the Crystal City Independent School District Board in the early 1970s and as a County Judge for Zavala County, Tex. (1975-1980). In the 1980s, Gutierrez pursued a teaching career and moved to Oregon where he taught at Colegio Cesar Chav...

Truán, Carlos.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fz00t8 (person)

Senator Carlos Truan was born June 9, 1935, in Kingsville, Texas. He received a B.B.A. from Texas A & I University in 1959. Truan was elected state representative for Nueces and Kleberg counties in 1968; after serving four terms he was elected state senator from District 20 in 1976. In addition to serving for more than 30 years in the Texas Legislature, Senator Truan has been a successful life insurance agent since 1960 and has been active in many organizations. He held local, state and nati...

Bonilla, William.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68670v7 (person)