Soledad Chávez de Chacón (August 10, 1890 – August 4, 1936) was the first woman elected to be the

Secretary of State of New Mexico The secretary of state of New Mexico is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of New Mexico. Twenty-six individuals have held the office of secretary of state since statehood. Since 1923, every elected ...

, and the first Hispanic woman elected to statewide office in the United States. She served as acting

Governor of New Mexico The governor of New Mexico () is the head of government of New Mexico. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New Mexico's state government and the commander-in-chief of the New Mexico National Guard. As noted in the govern ...

for two weeks in 1924, becoming the second woman to act as chief executive of a U.S. state.

Early life and education

Soledad Chávez was born in

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 ...

, in 1890. Her parents were Melitón Chávez (1856–1932) and Francisca Baca de Chávez (1864–1923), both members of prominent New Mexico families. She had one older sister, Piedad Chávez Sandoval (1888–1969). The sisters spent part of their childhood at the Salvador Armijo House in

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

, which was built in the 1840s by their maternal great-grandfather, Salvador Armijo. The house is now listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. with Chávez graduated from

Albuquerque High School Albuquerque High School is a public high school near Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It is a part of the Albuquerque Public Schools district. Enrollment at AHS stands at 1,741. AHS was named the 43rd best high school in the st ...

in 1908 and then completed an accounting program at the Albuquerque Business College. She married Ireneo Eduardo Chacón (1885–1969) in 1910 and had two children, Adelina and Santiago.

Career in politics

Chacón was first elected to the office of Secretary of State in 1922, two years after the 19th Amendment guaranteed women the right to vote. The people of

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 ...

nicknamed her "Lala" during her time in office. She served another two-year term in 1924. Chacón became acting governor of New Mexico for two weeks from June 21 to July 5, 1924, when Governor James F. Hinkle left the state to attend the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Lieutenant Governor José A. Baca had died earlier in the year, leaving the Secretary of State next in the line of succession. She was the second woman to serve as chief executive of a U.S. state after Carolyn B. Shelton, who acted as governor of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

for three days in 1909. Upon taking office, Chacón told reporters "I am anticipating no serious problems during Governor Hinkle's absence, but should any occur I don't believe I shall have any difficulty in handling them." She undertook several actions as governor, including signing a requisition for New Mexico National Guard funding and issuing a pardon. She was elected to the

New Mexico House of Representatives The New Mexico House of Representatives () is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature. There are 70 members of the House. Each member represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the South ...

in 1934, becoming the fourth Hispanic woman to hold that office. She served on several committees, including as chair of Rules and Orders of Business. In 1936, partway through her first term, she died of

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...

at the age of 46.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chacon, Soledad Women state legislators in New Mexico 1890 births 1936 deaths Secretaries of state of New Mexico Hispanic and Latino American women in politics Politicians from Albuquerque, New Mexico Democratic Party members of the New Mexico House of Representatives 20th-century members of the New Mexico Legislature 20th-century American women politicians Deaths from peritonitis Albuquerque High School alumni