John Pinto (December 15, 1924 – May 24, 2019) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician. He served as a Democratic member of the

New Mexico Senate The New Mexico Senate ( es, Senado de Nuevo México) is the upper house of the New Mexico State Legislature. The Senate consists of 42 members, with each senator representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state ...

from 1977 until his death in 2019.

Early life

Pinto was born in

Lupton, Arizona Lupton ( nv, ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Apache County, Arizona, United States. Lupton is located along Interstate 40 at the New Mexico border, southwest of Gallup, New Mexico. Lupton has a post offic ...

, on the Navajo Nation. He earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degree from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

Career

Pinto served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and was a Navajo

code talker A code talker was a person employed by the military during wartime to use a little-known language as a means of secret communication. The term is now usually associated with United States service members during the world wars who used their k ...

. After leaving the military, Pinto was a teacher and organizer for the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...

. Elected to the

in 1977, Pinto represented the 3rd district, which includes the

Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...

-area and spans much of western San Juan County, as well as a portion of western McKinley County. Much of the district is made up of the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

and includes

Shiprock Shiprock ( nv, , "rock with wings" or "winged rock") is a monadnock rising nearly above the high-desert plain of the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, San Juan County, New Mexico, United States. Its peak elevation is above sea le ...

, Sheep Springs, and part of Gallup. At 94, he was the longest-serving member in the Senate.

Personal life

He died in office in

Gallup, New Mexico Zuni: ''Kalabwaki'' , settlement_type = City , nickname = "Indian Capital of the World" , motto = , image_skyline = Gallup, New Mexico.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption ...

, on May 24, 2019 at the age of 94.NM mourns long-time state senator John Pinto
''The NM Political Report'', Andy Lyman, May 24, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019. He was succeeded in office by his granddaughter,

Shannon Pinto Shannon D. Pinto is an American politician serving as a member of the New Mexico Senate. A member of the Democratic Party, Pinto represents the 3rd district, which includes Shiprock, New Mexico and part of Navajo Nation. Early life and educati ...

References

External links

John Pinto
at

Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

* ''Follow the Money'' – John Pinto *
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campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Pinto, John 1924 births 2019 deaths Navajo Nation politicians Native American state legislators in New Mexico Democratic Party New Mexico state senators People from McKinley County, New Mexico 21st-century American politicians People from Apache County, Arizona Military personnel from Arizona Navajo code talkers University of New Mexico alumni 20th-century American politicians United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native Americans