Lauro Cavazos

Lauro Fred Cavazos Jr. (January 4, 1927 – March 15, 2022) was an American educator and politician. He served as the United States Secretary of Education, and was the first Hispanic to serve in the United States Cabinet.

Lauro Cavazos
4th United States Secretary of Education
In office
September 20, 1988 – December 12, 1990
PresidentRonald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Preceded byWilliam Bennett
Succeeded byLamar Alexander
Personal details
Born
Lauro Fred Cavazos

(1927-01-04)January 4, 1927
Kingsville, Texas, U.S.
DiedMarch 15, 2022(2022-03-15) (aged 95)
Concord, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Peggy Ann Murdock
Children10
EducationTexas Tech University (BS, MS)
Iowa State University (PhD)

Early life and education

A sixth-generation Texan, he was born on the King Ranch near Kingsville, Texas, the son of Lauro F. Cavazos, Sr., and the former Tomasa Quintanilla. His father served as foreman of the showcase Santa Gertrudis cattle division.[1] Through his maternal ancestry, he was a descendant of Texas Revolution heroine Francita Alavez, the "Angel of Goliad". He was the brother of U.S. Army General Richard E. Cavazos.[2]

He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in zoology from Texas Tech University,[3] and a Ph.D. in physiology in 1954 from Iowa State University (ISU) in Ames, Iowa.[4] While in college, he was a member of Kappa Kappa Psi.

Career

Following a stint on the faculties of Tufts University and the Medical College of Virginia, he served as Dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine from 1975 to 1980. From 1980 to 1988, he served as President of Texas Tech University. He was both the first alumnus and the first Hispanic to serve as Texas Tech president.

A Democrat, Cavazos served as Secretary of Education from August 1988 to December 1990 during the Republican Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations. He resigned in December 1990.

Following his resignation as Secretary of Education, he returned to the faculty of Tufts University where he has served as Professor of Public Health and Family Medicine since then.

Awards

In 2006, his alma mater Iowa State University awarded him the Distinguished Achievement Award, their highest honors.[4]

Personal life

Cavazos was married to the former Peggy Ann Murdock; they had ten children and lived in Massachusetts. He died in Concord, Massachusetts, on March 15, 2022, at the age of 95.[5]

References
  1. "Texas Tech to install president April 15", Canadian Record, Canadian, Texas, February 14, 1980, p. 14
  2. "Bobby Cavazos, son of the King Ranch, Tech all-American, dies at 82". Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  3. University, Texas Tech (1949). "La Ventana, vol. 024". hdl:2346/48689. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. "Iowa State University alumni, friends to receive top awards April 20". Iowa State University. April 17, 2006. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  5. Driggars, Alex (March 16, 2022). "A Texas Tech trailblazer: Former University President, Cabinet Secretary Lauro Cavazos dies at 95". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
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