Ezequiel Cabeza De Baca (1864-1917) - Find a Grave Memorial

New Mexico Governor, Journalist. The first Latino-elected Governor of a US state. De Baca was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico and studied at the Jesuit Seminary there. In 1891, he became a staff writer and later associate editor for La Voz del Pueblo, a Spanish-language weekly. In 1898, he helped found Martinez Publishing, the largest Spanish newspaper syndicate in the southwest. De Baca's influence as a journalist made him a powerful mover and shaker within the Democratic Party, though he was reluctant to seek public office. He was a delegate to the 1900 Democratic National Convention and a Democratic presidential elector in 1912. Shortly after New Mexico's 1912 admission to statehood, he agreed to be gubenatorial candidate William C. McDonald's running mate, and was elected the state's first Lieutenant Governor. During his term he aggressively pursued taxing big business and defended laborer's rights against landowners; he also served as chairman of the New Mexico Asylum for the Insane (1912 to 1916) and as chairman of the state's delegation to the 1916 DNC. There De Baca accepted his party's nomination for Governor and was elected in November 1916. Already in failing health - he had been diagnosed with pernicious anemia - he was sworn into office at a Santa Fe sanitarium and died there only six weeks after his inauguration. De Baca County, New Mexico is named for him.

Bio by: Bobb Edwards