Raúl Héctor Castro, the Mexican immigrant who became governor of Arizona

As a member of the Democratic Party, Raúl Héctor Castro ran for the governorship of Arizona for the first time in 1970. However, the Sonoran was defeated by the Republican Jack Williams.

Raúl Héctor Castro is a symbol for the Mexican community in the United States, as he was the first Latino immigrant to become governor in the country when he won the election in Arizona in the 1970s.

Born in Cananea, Sonora, Raúl Héctor Castro was a Mexican immigrant who moved to the United States with his family at the age of 10. However, the death of his father and his desire to succeed were the driving forces that pushed him to go far.

As a migrant in Douglas, Arizona, he performed various jobs, just like thousands of Mexicans do every day in the United States. Later on, he enrolled in school in that state to prepare himself and achieve his dreams.

Thanks to his studies, he returned to Mexico to be a part of the Consulate of Agua Prieta, which helped him forge his career in the Foreign Service. It was there where he also began to train as a diplomat.

In 1949, the Sonoran Raúl Héctor Castro continued his education and traveled back to the United States to study at the College of Law at the University of Arizona, where he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree.

After studying and practicing law, he became a judge, and thanks to his dedication, hard work, and connection with the population, he was appointed as the ambassador of the United States in El Salvador by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

This allowed him to advance in the diplomatic ranks and gain more experience in the field, leading to his appointment as the ambassador to Bolivia, before embarking on the most significant adventure of his career: running for governor of Arizona.

Raúl Héctor Castro and his run for Arizona governorship.

As a member of the Democratic Party, a legal expert, with extensive diplomatic experience and broad recognition in Arizona, Raúl Héctor Castro ran for the governorship of that state for the first time in 1970. However, the Sonoran was defeated by the Republican Jack Williams.

This did not deter Raúl Héctor Castro from continuing his dreams of becoming the governor of Arizona, and in 1974, he ran again as a member of the Democratic Party.

In that year, he achieved one of his dreams. Guided by his experience, politics, and the support of the migrant and Latino community in that state, Raúl Héctor Castro won the election and became the first Mexican immigrant to be governor by winning in Arizona.

The road was short for the Sonoran as governor, as he served from 1975 to 1977, when a new assignment came for him as part of the United States government. President Jimmy Carter appointed him as ambassador to Argentina.

However, the career, management, and achievements of the Mexican became a symbol for not only the Mexican community but also the migrant and Latino communities in the United States, especially in Arizona, where he forged and fulfilled his dreams.

Sources: The New York Times/AZ Central