LARRAZOLO, Octaviano Ambrosio, a Senator from New Mexico; born in El Valle de San Bartolo (now Allende), State of Chihuahua, Mexico, December 7, 1859; moved to Tucson, Ariz., in 1870 as a protege of the bishop of Arizona; studied theology and attended St. Michael's College at Santa Fe, N.Mex., in 1875 and 1876; taught in the public schools in ...
After three unsuccessful bids for a seat in Congress, Larrazolo switched his political allegiance, joining the Republican Party in 1911. He next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by popular vote on November 5, 1918.
Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo (1888–1961) made history as the first Hispanic U.S. Senator in the United States, breaking barriers and paving the way for future Latinx political leaders.