Oral history interview with Lauro Cruz, 1998 [videorecording].

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Oral history interview with Lauro Cruz, 1998 [videorecording].

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50499586

The interview begins with the history and genealogy of the Cruz family. He elaborates upon his political activism in the Democratic Party as a precinct judge and his later involvement with the Humphrey-Johnson presidential campaign as campaign co-chairman. He describes the difficulties that Mexican Americans experience in seeking elected office due to racial prejudice and stereotyping by the White dominated power structure. Mr. Cruz talks about his involvement with the farm workers' Austin March of 1966, and describes political activities by Mexican Americans and labor unions during that protest. He elaborates upon the role that the Raza Unida Party played in denying Governor Dolph Briscoe a majority vote in his re-election bid, and he tells about serving as his special assistant later. Mr. Cruz describes the tension created when the Mexican American Democrats (MAD) organization was formed to counter the effectiveness of the Raza Unida Party with voters from the Mexican American Community. Mr. Cruz describes his work as staff manager for Senator Carlos Truan and talks about establishing his own independent public relations company. He concludes the interview with a description of his leadership-training program for Mexican Americans at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.

2 videocassettes (VHS) (1 hr., 48 min.) : col. ; 1/2 in.Transcript : 59 p. ; 28 cm.

University of Texas at Arlington, Central Library

Information

SNAC Resource ID: 7626138

University of Texas at Arlington, Central Library

Related Entities

There are 10 Entities related to this resource.

University of Texas at Arlington. Center for Mexican American Studies

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

Raza Unida Party (Tex.)

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The Raza Unida Party (RUP) was first established as a third political party in Crystal City, Texas, in January, 1970. As an alternative to the two-party system in Texas, Raza Unida sought social, economic, and political self-determination for Chicanos, other minorities, and the disenfranchised through local and, later, state politics. At its start, the party organized around county, local, and school district elections in south Texas; winning city council elections in Cotulla, Carri...

Democratic Party (Tex.)

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The Democratic Party in Texas has played an important role in the political history of Texas since its declaration of independence from Mexico in 1836. Settlers from the south and east brought an overwhelming allegiance to the Democratic Party, making it the only competitive political party in the state throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. The party’s dominance in local, state, and federal government over an ineffective Republican party, resulted in both a great influence o...

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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...

Cruz, Lauro.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6hh98h3 (person)

Born on May 20, 1933 in Beaumont, Texas. Mr. Cruz is the first Mexican American state representative from Houston to the Texas Legislature. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Houston. From the description of Oral history interview with Lauro Cruz, 1998 [videorecording]. (University of Texas at Arlington). WorldCat record id: 50499586 ...

Briscoe, Dolph

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South Texas landowner, rancher, oilman, banker, civic leader, member of the Texas House of Representatives (1949-1957) and Governor of Texas (1973-1979). Briscoe was active in the Democratic Party of Texas throughout the 1950s and the 1960s and ran unsuccessfully for Governor in 1968. He was elected governor of Texas in 1972 and reelected in 1974 to the state's first four-year gubernatorial term. He was defeated in 1978 by Republican Bill Clements. From the d...

Gutiérrez, José Angel,

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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...

Cruz family.

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Mexican American Democrats of Texas

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A group of Democrats, formed in 1975, dedicated to increasing the influence of Mexican Americans in the Democratic Party at the state and national levels. Eugene and Sylvia Rodriguez were charter members of the group and both served on the Democratic National Committee in the 1980s. From the description of Mexican American Democrats of Texas collection, 1962-1987. (University of Texas at San Antonio). WorldCat record id: 40792718 Eugene (Gene) and Sylvia Rodrigu...

Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs

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The Presidential Election Study, a research project of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs of The University of Texas at Austin, was conducted from 1989-1992, to analyze campaign organizations, issues, personalities, events, and finances, as well as voting and polling results in primaries, caucuses, conventions, and the general election, and the impact of party rules on the nominating process. Michael L. Gillette directed the project with a bipartisan Advisory Committee. F...