Dennis Chavez
Dennis Chavez (April 8, 1888 - November 18, 1962) was a Democratic politician from New Mexico. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.
Born in an Los Chaves, Valencia County, New Mexico, Chavez worked in a grocery and the city engineering department of Albuquerque, New Mexico after finishing school. In 1917, he traveled to Washington, D.C. with Senator Andrieus Jones. He worked as a clerk in the office of the Secretary of the U.S. Senate while also studying at the Georgetown University Law Department. After graduating in 1920, Chavez returned to Albuquerque to practice law. He served in the State House of Representatives from 1923-1924. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico's only seat in 1930. Chavez was re-elected two years later, but did not seek a third term in 1934, instead running for the U.S. Senate. He was unsuccessful in that effort, but won election to New Mexico's other Senate seat two years later. Chavez was re-elected four times, serving until his death in 1962.
