Soledad C. Chacón


Soledad Chávez de Chacón was the first woman elected to be the Secretary of State of New Mexico, and the first Hispanic woman elected to statewide office in the United States.

Early life and education

Chacón was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1890. She graduated from Albuquerque High School in 1908.

Career in politics

She 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 nicknamed her "Lala", during her time in office. She served another two-year term in 1924. During that time, she served as the first female acting governor with substantial powers of a U.S. state, when James F. Hinkle, governor at the time, left the state to go to the Democratic National Convention in New York City. Later on in life, she was elected to the New Mexico House of Representatives, serving for two years before dying of peritonitis.