U.S. Senate, Bush Cabinet Will Welcome New Hispanic Members
Officials reflect demographic group's rising political clout

By Lauren Monsen
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- When new members of the U.S. Senate and President Bush's second-term Cabinet are sworn into office in January 2005, they will include four prominent Hispanic Americans who demonstrate the rising political fortunes -- and aspirations -- of the fastest-growing demographic group in the United States.

Ken Salazar (Democrat of Colorado) and Mel Martinez (Republican of Florida) were elected to the Senate in November. Meanwhile, President Bush recently named White House legal counsel Alberto Gonzales to succeed outgoing Attorney General John Ashcroft, and nominated Carlos Gutierrez, chief executive officer of the Kellogg Corporation, to become the next secretary of commerce.

All four men rose from modest origins to establish flourishing careers in public service, law, or business -- and each one, in his way, offers an interpretation of the classic American success story.

Salazar, a fifth-generation Coloradoan, is of Mexican descent. Born to a family of farmers and ranchers, he has long been familiar with issues related to land management and water conservation -- valuable preparation for his subsequent role as an official in Colorado's state government.

Bilingual from his earliest childhood, Salazar has been a farmer and rancher in Colorado's San Luis Valley, a natural resources lawyer, and a small-business owner much of his life. He graduated from Colorado College in 1977 with a degree in political science, and earned a law degree in 1981 from the University of Michigan.

In addition to ranching, Salazar and his wife have owned radio stations in Pueblo and Denver, and own and operate an ice-cream store in Westminster, Colorado. Salazar has served as chief legal counsel to Colorado's governor; as executive director of the state’s department of natural resources; and as chairman of the Rio Grande Compact Commission.

His experience gave him first-hand knowledge of the problems faced by Colorado's ranching and business sectors, and earned him the respect of many rural voters who have traditionally supported Republican candidates. Salazar launched his bid for a U.S. Senate seat while serving as Colorado's attorney general, running against multi-millionaire beer executive Pete Coors. Despite Coors' well-financed campaign, Salazar's popularity in Colorado helped ensure his election victory over his Republican rival.

Florida's new senator also has a dramatic personal story. Martinez was born in Sagua La Grande, Cuba, arriving in the United States in 1962 under the auspices of a Roman Catholic humanitarian effort called Operation Peter Pan, which brought more than 14,000 children into the country. Catholic charitable groups provided Martinez a home at two youth facilities; at the time, he was alone and spoke virtually no English. He subsequently lived with two foster families, and to this day, he retains close ties to them. In 1966 he was reunited with his own family in Orlando.

Martinez graduated from Florida State University's College of Law in 1973. During his 25 years of law practice in Orlando, he was involved in various civic organizations, and was vice president of the Board of Catholic Charities of the Orlando Diocese. Running as a Republican, he was elected chairman of Orange County, Florida, and served on the Governor's Growth Management Study Commission. He had previously served as president of the Orlando Utilities Commission, on the board of directors of a community bank, and as chairman of the Orlando Housing Authority.

He served as co-chairman of President Bush's 2000 campaign in Florida, and was appointed as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during Bush's first term in the White House.

Securing the Republican nomination as a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Democrat Bob Graham, Martinez defeated his Democratic opponent, Betty Castor, in a very close and bitterly contested election. According to analysts, Martinez's Cuban background and his popularity in the Orlando region both contributed to his appeal to the statewide Republican Party in Florida. When he takes office, he will become the first U.S. senator of Cuban heritage.

Martinez has already won positions on three prized Senate committees -- Foreign Relations, Banking, and Energy. He will also serve on the Senate Special Committee on Aging -- an important post for a legislator from Florida, a state with a large number of retirees among its residents.

The new Hispanic appointees to the president's second-term Cabinet also have impressive credentials. Gonzales, nominated to head the Department of Justice as the next attorney general, was born in San Antonio, Texas, and raised in Houston. He is a graduate of Texas public schools, Rice University, and Harvard Law School.

Gonzales served in the United States Air Force between 1973-1975, and attended the United States Air Force Academy between 1975-1977. In 1982, he joined the law firm of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P. in Houston, and subsequently became a partner in the firm.

For three years, Gonzales was General Counsel to then-Governor George W. Bush of Texas, and he served as Texas' Secretary of State from December 2, 1997, to January 10, 1999. He was appointed to the Texas Supreme Court in 1999, before being commissioned as Counsel to the President in January 2001. Gonzales has served the Bush White House in that position ever since.

In his former capacity as Texas' Secretary of State, Gonzales acted as the governor's lead liaison on Mexico and border issues, among other duties. He was elected to the American Law Institute in 1999, and served as a board trustee of the Texas Bar Foundation from 1996-1999. Prior to that, Gonzales was board director for the State Bar of Texas from 1991-1994, and was named President of the Houston Hispanic Bar Association from 1990-1991.

Gonzales was inducted into the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Alumni Hall of Fame in 2003, was presented with the Good Neighbor Award from the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce, and garnered President's Awards from the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the League of United Latin American Citizens.

In nominating Gonzales to his Cabinet shortly after winning a second term as president, Bush said: "He always gives me his frank opinion; he is a calm and steady voice in times of crisis. He has an unwavering principle of respect for the law."

If confirmed as attorney general, Gonzales will be the first Hispanic American to hold the position.

The appointment of Cuban-born businessman Carlos Gutierrez as secretary of commerce is another tale of immigrant success. As he introduced Gutierrez to reporters at a formal White House ceremony, Bush praised him as "one of America's most respected business leaders," a man who has made his mark at the Kellogg Company, where he presides as chief executive officer. Gutierrez began his association with Kellogg early in life, and his talents allowed him to rise through the ranks rapidly, Bush explained.

"Carlos's family came to America from Cuba when he was a boy," Bush said. "He learned English from a bellhop in a Miami hotel, and later became an American citizen. When his family eventually settled in Mexico City, Carlos took his first job for Kellogg as a truck driver, delivering Frosted Flakes [cereal] to local stores.�

“Ten years after he started, he was running the Mexican business. And 15 years after that, he was running the entire company,� according to Bush. “At every stage of this remarkable story, Carlos motivated others with his energy and optimism and impressed others with his decency."

Bush predicted that "the Department of Commerce will have an experienced manager and an innovative leader" in Gutierrez.

For his part, Gutierrez declared himself "humbled" and "honored" by his selection as commerce secretary. "Mr. President, I believe passionately in your vision of a 21st century where America is the best country in the world with which to do business," he told Bush. "I believe in your call for a vibrant, growing entrepreneurial society, where everyone has the opportunity to experience the joy and the pride of ownership, where everyone can contribute, and where everyone can benefit."

Gutierrez also spoke of his metamorphosis from struggling immigrant to top executive at a giant U.S. corporation, and the hard work that made it possible. "I left Cuba to come to this great country in 1960 as a political refugee," he recalled. "I left with my parents and my brother, and we started, essentially, from scratch at that time."

The elevation of Salazar, Martinez, Gonzales and Gutierrez to the highest echelons of government service can be regarded not only as a testament to individual ability and determination, but also to the inclusive spirit of U.S. society in the 21st century. Hispanic Americans are emerging as a considerable force in the United States -- and the top ranks of the U.S. government now reflect this fact, a development that political analysts had long predicted.

Created: 04 Jan 2005 Updated: 04 Jan 2005