Raúl Héctor Castro

This article is about the former Governor of Arizona. For the President of Cuba, see Raúl Castro

Raul Hector Castro
United States Ambassador to Argentina
In office November 16, 1977 – July 30, 1980
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Robert Hill
Succeeded by	Harry Shlaudeman
14th Governor of Arizona
In office January 6, 1975 – October 20, 1977
Preceded by	Jack Williams
Succeeded by	Wesley Bolin
United States Ambassador to Bolivia
In office September 3, 1968 – November 3, 1969
President	Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Douglas Henderson
Succeeded by	Ernest Siracusa
United States Ambassador to El Salvador
In office December 11, 1964 – July 17, 1968
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	Murat Williams
Succeeded by	William Bowdler
Personal details
Born	(1916-06-12) June 12, 1916 Cananea, Mexico
Political party	Democratic Party
Alma mater	Northern Arizona University University of Arizona

Raul Hector Castro (born June 12, 1916) is a Mexican-born American politician. He has served in both elected and non-elected public offices, including United States Ambassador and the 14th Governor of Arizona (1975–77). He was the first Mexican American to be elected governor of Arizona. At the age of 96, he is the oldest living United States governor, since October 10, 2011 after the death of former Washington Governor Albert Rosellini at the age of 101.

Early life and education

Castro lived in his native Mexico until 1926, when he moved to the U.S. state of Arizona and later became a United States citizen. Through grueling physical labor and self-denial, he saved enough to enter Arizona State Teachers College at Flagstaff, from which he graduated in 1939. He worked for five years for the U.S. State Department as a foreign service clerk at Agua Prieta, a border city in his native Sonora, but he never forgot his dream of becoming a lawyer. Accepted by the University of Arizona College of Law, Castro earned his Juris Doctor degree and was admitted to the Arizona Bar in 1949. After practicing law in Tucson for two years, he became deputy Pima County attorney.

Career

In 1954 he was elected county attorney and served in that capacity until 1958, when he became a Pima County Superior Court Judge. His national stature grew over the years, and President Lyndon Johnson appointed Castro as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador in 1964. After four years there, he served as Ambassador to Bolivia until the end of 1969.

Returning to Tucson, Arizona in 1969 to specialize in international law, Castro continued to rise to the top in Arizona Democratic politics. Seeking state office for the first time in 1970, he won the Democratic nomination for governor, but narrowly lost the general election to Republican incumbent Jack Williams. In 1974, Castro was elected governor. In 1977, after two years as governor, he was selected by President Jimmy Carter to be ambassador to Argentina. Castro held that post until 1980.

Honours

In 2007, Castro's alma mater, now known as Northern Arizona University, named the home of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in his honor. As a student, he competed in track and boxing for the school; he was inducted into the Northern Arizona University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988.

Detention

On June 12, 2012, despite searing temperatures, Castro was stopped by U.S. Border Patrol after they detected traces of radiation in his vehicle. After explaining that the radiation was due to a medical procedure from the previous day, the ex-governor was released after a short detention.

Additional sources

• Goff, John S. (1983). Arizona Biographical Dictionary. Cave Creek, Ariz.: Black Mountain Press. OCLC 10740532. 
• Interview with R.H. Castro for the newspaper Clarín of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 20 December 1998 concerning the Beagle conflict: Clarín.

External links

• The Raul Castro Collection at the University of Arizona UAiR Collection

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Murat Williams	United States Ambassador to El Salvador 1964–1968	Succeeded by William Bowdler
Preceded by Douglas Henderson	United States Ambassador to Bolivia 1968–1969	Succeeded by Ernest Siracusa
Preceded by Robert Hill	United States Ambassador to Argentina 1977–1980	Succeeded by Harry Shlaudeman
Party political offices
Preceded by Samuel Goddard	Democratic nominee for Governor of Arizona 1970, 1974	Succeeded by Bruce Babbitt
Political offices
Preceded by Jack Williams	Governor of Arizona 1975–1977	Succeeded by Wesley Bolin
Honorary titles
Preceded by Albert Rosellini	Oldest living American governor 2011–present	Incumbent