Raymond L. Telles and Lyndon B. Johnson - El Paso, Texas
Raymond L. Telles y Lindon B. Johnson
Raymond L. Telles and Lyndon B. Johnson - El Paso, Texas
Raymond L. Telles was the first Mexican-American elected mayor of El Paso. He was known as a pioneer in El Paso politics, a friend and close adviser of President John F. Kennedy and a former ambassador to Costa Rica. Telles devoted his life to public service, serving four times as El Paso County clerk and twice as El Paso mayor (1957-1961). He also devoted more than 30 years of service in the military and as a civilian troubleshooter and adviser for the federal government. Over the years, Telles was widely applauded for challenging the political circles dominated by whites in El Paso in the 1940s and 1950s and for disproving the notion that Mexican-Americans could not be elected to public office or effectively run a city. A symbol of dignity, Telles has been most applauded as the leader who gave Mexican-Americans a voice in El Paso politics. Telles received numerous recognitions in his lifetime, including recognition in 2006 as Mayor Emeritus of El Paso. He died in 2013 at an age of 97. In the photograph above he is being recognized and awarded by Lyndon B. Johnson president 36 of the United States.
Report this entry
More from the same community-collection
Geneva Loan & Jewelry CO Down Town El Paso
Geneva Loan & Jewelry CO, was established in 1912 and is on 222 ...
El Cronómetro and Roma Hotel - El Paso, Texas
This picture shows the El Cronómetro, a jewelry and watches ...
Inside of El Cronómetro - El Paso, Texas
This picture is taken inside the El Cronómetro, a jewelry store ...
Flooded S. El Paso Street - 1920's - El Paso, Texas
The picture shows South El Paso Street flooded. Kids are playing ...
Airship Graf Zeppelin - El Paso, Texas
The airship LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin overflew El Paso in the early ...
