Casimiro Barela was an early Colorado legislator and senator who was partially responsible for authoring the Constitution of Colorado. He served in both the Colorado Territory legislature and the legislature of the State. He was known as the "Father of the Colorado Senate" and served for 40 years. According to scholars, Barela's legacy in Colorado would show a willingness to work for the business class but to also guard the Hispanic culture and Spanish language speaking populace from the newer culture being introduced from the east, all while acting as a politician-patron for the people of Trinidad, Colorado.
Early years
Born on March 4, 1847 in what would become New Mexico, Casimiro Barela was born in the middle of the U.S.-Mexican War that ended in 1848. Barela was born in the town of Embudo, which at the time was still a part of Mexico, but following the war became a U.S. territory. At a young age, Barela briefly dropped out of school to help his father, Don José María Barela, working as a cattle raiser. It was out in fields, where he frequently brought books to read aloud to his father, that Casimiro Barela's father said: "My son, from today forward you will no longer assist me in my work; by all means, you will go to school". From then forward, Casimiro valued his education and prioritized his studies in his young, formative years.
Moving to Colorado
In 1867, Casimiro Barela moved from New Mexico to about 20 miles outside of Trinidad, Colorado. In Colorado, Barela slowly gained a great fortune by doing a variety of crafts, including: stock raising sheep and cattle, publishing newspapers, freighting, and merchandising. On his twentieth birthday, he married Josefita Ortiz, a daughter of a well-known family in the Colorado territory. When he was just twenty-two years old, Casimiro Barela was elected as Justice of the Peace in Trinidad, beginning his political career.
Following his role in the publication of the Colorado State Constitution in 1875, Casimiro Barela became a Colorado State Senator in 1876. While in the Senate, Casimiro Barela accomplished many political and social gains such as:
Advocating for bilingual education, as many residents living in Southern Colorado had Mexican origins.
Supporting the women's suffrage movement in Colorado in 1893, making Colorado one of the first states to allow women to vote prior to the 19th Amendment.
Casimiro Barela served for almost 40 years in the Senate, from 1876 to 1917. After gaining his seat in the first Colorado State Senate elections in 1876, he was reelected nine times. He lost his seat in the Senate in a surprising defeat by Democrat Samual de Busk in 1916. In addition, Casimiro started his career as a Democrat but later switched to the Republican party.
Family life
Casimiro Barela married twice in his lifetime. He had nine children with his first wife, Josefita Ortiz. Only three of the children survived and in 1883, Josefita died. Barela would remarry the following year on February 16 to Señorita Damiana Rivera, who is recorded as having come from "one of the most distinguished families in the Territories of New Mexico". Together with his second wife, Casimiro adopted three more children. Senator Barela died on December 18, 1920.
Recognition
Senator Barela, while alive and posthumously, has received many awards and has been recognized by many as "Father of Colorado State". Some of his accolades include:
An installation of stain glass of Casimiro Barela in the dome of the Colorado Capitol in 1900, making him one of sixteen people honored in this way.
Earning the "Legacy Award" for the 2016 Colorado Latino Hall of Fame.
