Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
In 1961, Reynaldo G. Garza, of Brownsville, Texas, became the first Mexican American federal judge in U.S. history. A Kennedy nominee, Garza had risen from the obscurity of his humble South Texas beginnings to become a major player in Democratic politics. The careers of fellow Texans and political giants Lyndon B. Johnson and Lloyd Bentsen would become linked with his own.
As an emerging power broker in the predominantly Anglo establishment, Garza personified the new elite in the Mexican American community and in the Democratic Party.
Garza's long and storied tenure as a federal judge was marked by many more firsts. He became the first Mexican American chief judge of a federal district court, and, in 1979, Garza became the first Mexican American appointed to the United States Court of Appeals President Carter invited him to become U.S. Attorney General, which would have made him the first Mexican American member of a presidential cabinet had he accepted the appointment.
Louise Ann Fisch argues that Garza's long list of successes comprises a story of American achievement that had much to do with one man's ability to retain his heritage while forging ahead in an Anglo-dominated society. A product of the cross-border culture of Brownsville, where class and ethnic lines fell differently than even elsewhere along the Rio Grande, Garza integrated himself into the mainstream of American life, successfully balancing the Mexican and American parts of his dual identity.
Fisch keenly analyzes the impact of ethnic identity on how he conducted his professional and personal life and looks specifically at the judicial issues he faced which confronted cultural dichotomy.
Relying on interviews with Garza, his family and associates, verified through extensive archival and documentary work - including unrestricted access to the judge's papersFisch has written a book that is as much a careful examination of the rise of the Mexican American middle class in the twentieth century as it is a portrait of one pioneering man.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
Previews available in: English
Subjects
Mexican American judges, Biography, Courts & procedure, Ethnic studies, Hispanic American Sociology, Courts, History - General History, Texas, Biography/Autobiography, North America, General, Lawyers & Judges, Garza, Reynaldo G, Mexican americans, Texas, biography, Judges, biographyPeople
Reynaldo G. GarzaPlaces
TexasShowing 2 featured editions. View all 2 editions?
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
All rise: Reynaldo G. Garza, the first Mexican American federal judge
1996, Texas A&M University Press
in English
- 1st ed.
089096713X 9780890967133
|
cccc
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
2
All Rise: Reynaldo G. Garza, the First Mexican American Federal Judge (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas a&M University, No. 62)
October 1996, Texas A&M University Press
Hardcover
in English
- 1st ed edition
089096713X 9780890967133
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Classifications
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?History
- Created April 29, 2008
- 8 revisions
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?
August 4, 2024 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
December 29, 2021 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
November 23, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
July 30, 2019 | Edited by MARC Bot | associate edition with work OL3240802W |
April 29, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from amazon.com record |