Fabian Chavez Jr. (August 31, 1924 – January 20, 2013) was an American politician in the state of

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

and Majority Leader of the

New Mexico Senate The New Mexico State Senate () is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state. All senatorial distr ...

Biography

Chavez was born in 1924 in

Wagon Mound, New Mexico Wagon Mound is a village in Mora County, New Mexico, Mora County, New Mexico, United States. It is named after and located at the foot of a butte called Wagon Mound, which was a landmark for covered wagon trains and traders going up and down the ...

, one of 10 children. He graduated from Santa Fe High School and served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Chavez later attended St. Michael's College and the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

. Chavez was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the

New Mexico House of Representatives The New Mexico House of Representatives () is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature. There are 70 members of the House. Each member represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the South ...

in 1950 and to the

in 1956, becoming Majority Leader in 1961 and serving until 1965. Chavez was the Democratic nominee for

Governor of New Mexico The governor of New Mexico () is the head of government of New Mexico. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New Mexico's state government and the commander-in-chief of the New Mexico National Guard. As noted in the govern ...

in the 1968 election, losing to incumbent

David Cargo David Francis Cargo (January 13, 1929 – July 5, 2013) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 22nd governor of New Mexico between 1967 and 1971. He was a member of the Republican Party. Early life and education Cargo ...

by 3,000 votes. He also mounted unsuccessful campaigns for U.S. Congress in 1964 and 1970 and Governor in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

. After his defeat, he served as New Mexico Director of Tourism from 1971–75 and Director of Development from 1975–77. Chavez served as United States Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Tourism under President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

. Chavez died on January 20, 2013, at the age of 88, after a short illness.

Personal life

Chavez and his wife, Coral Jeanne Rustenbach, were married 54 years before her death in 2006. They had one child, Christine J. Chavez Barrett, two grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavez, Fabian 1924 births 2013 deaths Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New Mexico Democratic Party members of the New Mexico House of Representatives Democratic Party New Mexico state senators People from Mora County, New Mexico Politicians from Santa Fe, New Mexico University of New Mexico alumni Candidates in the 1970 United States elections Candidates in the 1982 United States elections 20th-century members of the New Mexico Legislature