Former Arizona Governor Raul Castro passed away this morning in a San Diego nursing home. Castro was Arizona’s 14th governor, serving from 1975 to 1977.
Leaders praised the life of the 98 year old former governor. Castro’s old friend and southern Arizona community leader Alberto Moore said, “The Governor was a great inspiration to many people. He was a great citizen of the country he loved. I am sorry to see him leave.”
Last year, Governor Castro was honored by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce with its Legacy Award. “The Legacy Award is generally selected for someone who’s had significant impact in our region, said Lea Márquez-Peterson, president of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce told AZPM.
Governor Castro was born June 12, 1916, in Cananea, Sonora, Mexico.
Governor Castro’s family moved to the United States, settling in Pirtleville, near Douglas, Arizona. Castro became a naturalized American citizen in 1939. He received a B.A. degree (teaching) from Northern Arizona University in 1939, served as an official with the U.S. Foreign Service in the 1940s and earned a J.D. degree from the University of Arizona in 1949. After graduation, he practiced law for five years. From 1955 to 1959, Castro was Pima County attorney. From 1959 to 1964, he served as a judge of the Pima County Superior Court. President Johnson appointed Castro as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador from 1964 to 1968, and he served as ambassador to Bolivia from 1968 to 1969. He made history in 1974, when he won election as governor, becoming the first Mexican-American to be elected Governor of Arizona. After completing two years of his four-year term as governor, Castro was tapped by President Jimmy Carter to be ambassador to Argentina from 1977 to 1980.