Edward L. Romero (born January 2, 1934) is an American entrepreneur, activist and former diplomat. He served as the U.S. ambassador to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

between the years of 1998 and 2001 and has engaged in various environmental and social causes, winning recognition from organizations in both the U.S. and Spain.

Biography

Early years

Edward L. Romero was born on January 2, 1934 in

Alamosa, Colorado Alamosa is the List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city that is the county seat of Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. Alamosa is located along the Rio Grande. The city population was 9,806 in the 2020 Unit ...

after his family moved there from

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

.Fundación escalera del éxito: Sabios del toreo
. His mother was a precinct chairwoman in Southern Colorado for thirty-seven years and a delegate for Adlai Stevenson. A History of Political Strength: An Interview with Edward L. Romero
/ref> Some of his ancestors were Spanish settlers from Corral de Almaguer, a municipality of

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Or ...

Castilla La Mancha Castile, Castille or Castilla may refer to: Places Spain *Castile (historical region), a vaguely defined historical region of Spain covering most of Castile and León, all of the Community of Madrid and most of Castilla–La Mancha *Kingdom of ...

,Crónica El Mundo. EDWARD ROMERO: "Las mujeres mandan mucho, nos controlan"
(In spanish: Chronicle El Mundo. EDWARD ROMERO: "Women control us"). Sunday, February 25, 2001 - Number 280. Retrieved July 30, 2012, to 1:35pm. and settled in

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

in 1598.Silver horizons: Edward L. Romero
Retrieved in August 29, 2012 at 18:12 pm. His grandfather was a

Fraternity brother A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western conce ...

of New Mexico. His first language was Spanish, but he currently speaks both English and Spanish fluently. In his youth, he fought in the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, then studied at

Los Angeles State College California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA) is a public research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is part of the California State University system. Cal State LA offers 142 bachelor's degree programs, 122 m ...

and

Citrus College Citrus College is a public community college in Glendora, California. The Citrus Community College District, which supports the institution, includes the communities of Azusa, Claremont, Duarte, Glendora, and Monrovia. Citrus Union High Scho ...

. He moved to New Mexico after he graduated. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, he was particularly critical of the war and helped form an activist group called "Veterans Against Vietnam."

Political career

After the Vietnam War, he became a county chairman of Democratic Party. He has been a member of the

Advisory Committee ''Advisory Committee'' is Mirah's second full-length album. It was released on K Records on March 19, 2002, and produced by both Mirah and Phil Elvrum. Production ''Advisory Committee'' was recorded over a one-year period, starting on Septembe ...

for the U.S. Trade Representative's Services Policy, leading a number of U.S. delegations to Mexico. During the Carter administration he served as a member of the Federal Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and of the U.S. Delegations on the

Helsinki Accords The Helsinki Final Act, also known as Helsinki Accords or Helsinki Declaration, was the document signed at the closing meeting of the third phase of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE) held in Helsinki, Finland, betwee ...

.Ehdoc
. Retrieved August 23, 2012, to 1:35pm

Ambassador of Andorra and Spain

On April 2, 1998, President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

announced he would like to nominate Edward L. Romero as the next U.S. ambassador of Spain, and on June 1, Clinton named him to also serve concurrently as Ambassador to Andorra. He was confirmed by the Senate on June 23. On June 28, Ambassador Romero arrived in Madrid, Spain and on June 30, he presented his credentials to King Juan Carlos. In 2001 he was replaced by

George Argyros George Leon Argyros (born February 4, 1937) is an American former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Spain. He is also a real estate investor and philanthropist. Argyros was the owner of Major League Baseball's Seattle Marin ...

as ambassador of Spain.

Hispanic Community Leader

He founded the Hispanic Culture Foundation and the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and has served on the President's Hispanic Advisory Committee.. He was a founding member of the

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

Albuquerque Hispano and the Board of the

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) is a Hispanic nonprofit and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) leadership development organization established in 1978 by organizing members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and is headquartered i ...

. He was a member of the Hispanic Cultural Foundation and the

National Hispanic Cultural Center The National Hispanic Cultural Center is an institution in Albuquerque, New Mexico dedicated to Hispanic culture, arts and humanities. The campus spans 20 acres and is located along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Avenida César Chá ...

in New Mexico. In 1989, the Hispanic Chamber of the Commerce named him the National Hispanic Businessman of the Year.

Entrepreneur

He is one of the founders of "Valor Telecommunications Southwest, LLC." He was the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Advanced Sciences, Inc., an international environmental engineering and waste management corporation. He continued as the president and director after the company merged with Commodore Applied Technologies, Inc.

Recognitions

* In September 1989, the U.S.

Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and str ...

named him Region Hispanic Businessman of the Year. * In 1989, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce named him National Hispanic Businessman of the Year. * In 1991, he was also named in the publication "Hispanic Heroes – Portraits of New Mexicans Who Have Made a Difference," edited by Rose Diaz and Jan Dodson Barnhart * On March 21, 2001, the King

Juan Carlos I of Spain Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...

awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of

Isabel I of Castile Isabella I (; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''Isabel la Católica''), was Queen of Castile and León from 1474 until her death in 1504. She was also Queen of Aragon from 1479 until her deat ...

. * He has received awards and acknowledgments from various U.S. and Spanish organizations including the

National Kidney Foundation The National Kidney Foundation, Inc. (NKF) is a voluntary nonprofit health organization in the United States, headquartered in New York City. Its mission is to prevent kidney and urinary tract diseases, improve the health and well-being of indiv ...

, New Mexico Anti-Defamation League, National Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, Multiple Sclerosis Society. * Honorary Brother of the International Brotherhood of Researchers in Toledo, Spain * Noble Honorary Brother of the Illustrious and Most Ancient Brotherhood of Mozarabic Knights in Toledo, Spain * Knight of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in Madrid, Spain

Personal life

Romero married Cayetana Garcia and they have four children and eight grandchildren. She is a descendant of the first Spanish settlers of New Mexico. He is a big fan of

bullfighting Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations. There are several variations, including some forms wh ...

and

toreo Toreo may refer to: *Bullfighting *Sildenafil mouth spray, by trade name *Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, a former bullring and landmark area in Naucalpan, State of Mexico **Cuatro Caminos metro station (Naucalpan), a Mexico City Metro station commonly k ...

and engages in various civic and charitable activities

References

External links

Ambassador Romero
{{DEFAULTSORT:Romero, Edward L. 1934 births Living people Hispanos of New Mexico American people of Spanish descent Ambassadors of the United States to Spain Ambassadors of the United States to Andorra Hispanic and Latino American diplomats Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre 20th-century American diplomats 21st-century American diplomats