Raul H. Castro
(1975-1977)
Raul H. Castro
(1975-1977)
It is a success story in the best Horatio Alger tradition: Penniless Mexican boy comes to the United States, works diligently, and moves up the ladder to judge, ambassador, and governor...It is Raul Castro's story.
He was born at Cananea, Mexico, June 12, 1916, and lived in his native country until 1926, when he moved to Arizona and later became an American citizen. Through gruelling physical labor and self-denial, he saved enough to enter Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff, where he was graduated in 1939. He worked for the US State Department as a foreign service clerk at Agua Prieta, Mexico for five years, but he never forgot his dream of becoming a lawyer. Accepted by the University of Arizona Law College, Castro earned his Juris Doctor degree and was admitted to the Arizona Bar in 1949. After practicing law in Tucson for two years, he became deputy Pima County attorney. In 1954 he was elected county attorney and served in that capacity until 1958, when he became a Pima County Superior Court Judge. He earned a reputation as a man of keen mind and deep compassion for people during his six years on the Superior Court bench. His national stature grew over the years, and President Lyndon Johnson appointed Castro as US ambassador to El Salvador in 1964. That four year service was followed by an ambassadorial assignment to Colombia.
Returning to Tucson in 1969 to specialize in international law, Castro continued to rises to the top in Arizona Democratic politics. Seeking state office for the first time in 1974, he surprised the experts by winning his spirited campaign for the governorship. The poor boy from Cananea had reached the top at last. In 1977, when he had completed two years as governor, President Jimmy Carter selected him to be ambassador to Argentina.
Goff, John F. Arizona Biographical Dictionary. Black Mountain Press. Cave Creek, Arizona 1983.
Websites
Arizona Republic CulturesAZ, Hispanic--Raul Castro
http://www.azcentral.com/culturesaz/hispanic/HISTcastro.shtml
School Discovery A-Z- Raul Castro
http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/worldbook/atozhistory/c/099370.html
Governor Raul Castro's Executive Orders while Governor
http://www.dlapr.lib.az.us/is/state/eo/castro.htm
Catholic Politicians in Arizona-Political Graveyard
http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/AZ/catholic.html
Books/Manuscripts
Raul H. Castro, governor of the state of Arizona.
GV
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Raul Hector Castro
MM CHSM-174
