Raúl Héctor Castro

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Raúl Héctor Castro
United States Ambassador to Argentina
In office
November 16, 1977 – July 30, 1980
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byRobert C. Hill
Succeeded byHarry W. Shlaudeman
14th Governor of Arizona
In office
January 6, 1975 – October 20, 1977
Preceded byJack Richard Williams
Succeeded byWesley Bolin
United States Ambassador to Bolivia
In office
September 3, 1968 – November 3, 1969
PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
Preceded byDouglas Henderson
Succeeded byErnest Siracusa
United States Ambassador to El Salvador
In office
December 11, 1964 – July 17, 1968
PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byMurat Williams
Succeeded byWilliam Bowdler
Personal details
Born(1916-06-12)June 12, 1916
Cananea, Mexico
DiedApril 10, 2015(2015-04-10) (aged 98)
San Diego, California
Political partyDemocratic Party
Alma materNorthern Arizona University
James E. Rogers College of Law

Raul Hector Castro (June 12, 1916 – April 10, 2015) was a Mexican-born American politician. He has served in both elected and non-elected public offices, including Ambassadors from the United States and the 14th Governor of Arizona (1975–77).

He was the first hispanic to be elected governor of Arizona.[1] At the age of 98, he became the oldest living United States governor, after the death of former Washington Governor Albert Rosellini at the age of 101.

Early life[change | change source]

Castro was born on June 12, 1916 on Cananea, Mexico. He studied at Northern Arizona University and at James E. Rogers College of Law.

Career[change | change source]

In 1954, he was elected county attorney and served in that capacity until 1958, when he became a Pima County Superior Court Judge. His national stature grew over the years, and President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Castro as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador in 1964. After four years there, he served as Ambassador to Bolivia until the end of 1969.

Returning to Tucson, Arizona in 1969 to specialize in international law, Castro continued to rise to the top in Arizona Democratic politics. Seeking state office for the first time in 1970, he won the Democratic nomination for governor, but narrowly lost the general election to Republican incumbent Jack Williams. In 1974, Castro was elected governor. In 1977, after two years as governor, he was selected by President Jimmy Carter to be ambassador to Argentina. Castro held that post until 1980.

Detention[change | change source]

On June 12, 2012, despite searing temperatures, Castro was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol after they detected traces of radiation in his vehicle. After explaining that the radiation was due to a medical procedure from the previous day, the ex-governor was released after a short detention.[2]

Death[change | change source]

Castro died in his sleep while under hospice care in San Diego, California, aged 98.[1]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Arizona's 1st Hispanic Governor, Also a US Ambassador, Dies". The New York Times.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  2. Eng, James (6 July 2012). "Raul Castro, 96-year-old former US ambassador and Arizona governor, detained at Border Patrol checkpoint". MSNBC. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012.

Other websites[change | change source]

  • Goff, John S. (1983). Arizona Biographical Dictionary. Cave Creek, Ariz.: Black Mountain Press. OCLC 10740532.
  • Interview with R.H. Castro for the newspaper Clarín of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 20 December 1998 concerning the Beagle conflict: Clarín Archived 2009-09-14 at the Wayback Machine.
  • The Raul Castro Collection at the University of Arizona UAiR Collection Archived 2010-07-06 at the Wayback Machine
Preceded by
Albert Rosellini
Oldest living US governor
October 10, 2011April 10, 2015
Succeeded by
Edgar Whitcomb