As part of the Old South, American style apartheid once was widely practiced throughout the state of Texas. El Paso, in the Trans-Pecos Chihuahuan Desert, has much to be proud of in leading the state toward recognizing all of its citizens, not just the white, well-off oligarchy. In 1957, El Paso elected the first Hispanic mayor of a major city, Raymond Telles. Despite dire warnings as to what the city would come to if a "Mexican" was elected, Telles received a comfortable margin of victory. In part, this was due to the introduction of innovative campaigning techniques, including sample voting booths, collection of funds to pay the $1.75 poll tax for those who could not, and transportation to the polls.
The lack of an opponent for his second term pretty much says it all. This wasn't the first time that El Paso played a major role in the electoral process. El Paso's Lawrence Nixon was the black star of two United States Supreme Court decisions in his fight to be allowed to vote in the Texas Democratic Party primary.
Listen to the Audio (mp3 format) as recorded by KTEP, Public Radio for the Southwest.
Contributor: Arthur H. Harris, Laboratory for Environmental Biology, Centennial Museum, University of Texas at El Paso.
Desert Diary is a joint production of the Centennial Museum and KTEP National Public Radio at the University of Texas at El Paso.
García, M. T. 1998. The Making of a Mexican American Mayor: Raymond L. Telles. Texas Western Press, El Paso, 187 pp.
