Lauro Cavazos was the first Latino cabinet member as he served as secretary of education under presidents Ronald Reagan (1911–2004) and George H.W. Bush (1924–2018).
- Died: March 15, 2022 (Who else died on March 15?)
- Details of death: Died in Concord, Massachusetts at the age of 95.
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Historic appointment
When Cavazos was appointed secretary of education by Reagan in 1988, he had no political experience, though he brought years of experience in education both as an educator and an administrator. After serving in the U.S. Army at the tail end of World War II, he attended Texas Tech University and got his doctorate in physiology. Cavazos became a professor of anatomy at the Medical College of Virginia and then at Tufts University School of Medicine. He served as dean of the Tufts medical school and was named president of Texas Tech in 1980. He was the first Latino and the first alumnus to serve as president there.
Cavazos’ appointment to Reagan’s cabinet came with criticism from those who suspected Reagan had made the choice to boost Bush’s presidential campaign among Latino voters. He served for two years before resigning amid a controversy in which the Education Department ruled that college scholarships could not be designated for a specific racial minority. The ruling was later reversed, but the damage had been done to Cavazos’ political career. He returned to Tufts, where he resumed teaching.
Notable quote
“To be Secretary of Education extended my horizons. …There are some days I’d much rather be in the anatomy laboratory. I have a deep yearning to return to the classroom and the lab. It may never happen, but the yearning is there.” —from a 1988 interview for the New York Times
Tributes to Lauro Cavazos
Full obituary: The New York Times
