The Hispanic heritage of the Republican Party
September 15, 2006

As the country celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, our Grand Old Party would benefit from appreciating its own Hispanic heritage. How many Republicans know, for instance, that the first Hispanic U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and Governor were all Republicans?

In 2003, the Democrat candidate for Governor of California, Cruz Bustamante, said he wanted to be the state's first Hispanic Governor. He and most Democrats -- as well as too many Republicans -- did not know that a Hispanic had already served as Governor of California and that he was a Republican.

Born in Santa Barbara, Romualdo Pacheco was a judge, state legislator, state treasurer, and Brigadier- General in the Union Army before being elected Lt. Governor. When in 1875 the Governor was elected to the U.S. Senate, Pacheco became Governor and served ten months. The next year, Pacheco also became the first Hispanic elected to the U.S. House of Republicans, where he served three terms. He was then President Benjamin Harrison's ambassador to several Central American nations.

Another great Republican, New Mexico’s Octaviano Larrazolo, was the first Hispanic in the U.S. Senate. Originally a Democrat, Larrazolo switched to the Republican Party in protest against the anti-Hispanic policies of the Democrats. He was then elected, as a Republican, Governor in 1918 and then U.S. Senator in 1928.

The Republican Party should stop throwing away political capital, because the more we Republicans know about the history of our Party, the more the Democrats will worry about the future of theirs.

Contact Michael Zak (Grand_Old_Partisan@hotmail.com) to invite him to speak at Lincoln/Reagan dinners, conventions, and other Republican events. For more information, see www.republicanbasics.com.

Michael Zak is the author of Back to Basics for the Republican Party, a history of the GOP from the civil rights perspective.


Michael Zak is a popular speaker to Republican organizations around the country, showing office- holders, candidates, and activists how they would benefit tremendously from knowing and appreciating our Party's heritage of civil rights achievement. His book, Back to Basics for the Republican Party, is the acclaimed history of the GOP from the civil rights perspective.

Contact Mr. Zak to invite him to speak at Lincoln and Reagan Day dinners, conventions, fundraisers, and other Republican events. Click here for more information

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Michael Zak was our key note speaker in Fond du Lac this spring and did a great job.