Carlos Juan Finlay
Physician
Cuban American
1833–1915
Carlos Juan Finlay solved the mystery of what caused yellow fever. This deadly disease had no known
cure just over 100 years ago and killed thousands of people. In 1881, he discovered that mosquitoes
spread yellow fever, but he could not prove it. Other scientists did not believe him. They made fun of him,
calling him the mosquito man. Eventually, because of the work of Finlay and Walter Reed, another
important physician, scientists were able to develop a vaccine using diseased mosquitoes and conquer
this disease.
Loreta Janeta Velázquez
Civil War Soldier
Cuban American
1842–Year of Death Unknown
Loreta Janeta Velázquez wanted to fight for her side in the Civil War and didn't want to be stopped
because she was a woman. She disguised herself as a man named Harry Buford, even wearing a fake
mustache, and joined the Confederate forces. She was discovered only after she was injured in battle.
Severo Ochoa
Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine and Physiology Spanish American
1905–1993
Severo Ochoa won the Nobel Prize in 1959 for medicine. He received the prize for his discovery of the
process that would allow humans to create RNA in a test tube — a vital life substance that makes cells
work and grow. This knowledge can be useful in understanding many things about the body, like why
some cells stay healthy while tumors grow in others.
Corky Gonzales
Community Organizer
Mexican American
Born 1928
Corky Gonzales became an important leader for young and poor Mexican Americans in the 1960s. In
Denver, he started The Crusade for Justice, a group that pushed for civil rights and equality for Mexican
Americans. Gonzales wrote the poem I Am Joaquín, which helped people to understand the struggles
faced by Mexican Americans.
César Chávez
Union Leader
Mexican American
1927–1993
César Chávez came from a family of poor migrant workers. Through the experiences of his family, he
knew the hard lives led by farm workers who came to work in California from Mexico. They had to live in
dirty, cramped places and earned little money. In 1962, with Dolores Huerta, he started a group to change
these terrible conditions — the United Farm Workers of America. At first the workers were afraid of the
produce growers. But Chávez inspired the group and led peaceful protests and boycotts. These actions
convinced the growers to sign contracts with the farm workers and to treat them better.
Jaime Escalante
Teacher
Bolivian
American Born 1930
Jaime Escalante is a teacher who has changed the lives of Latino students in poor neighborhoods in Los
Angeles. When he first came to Garfield High School, many of his students were failing. Escalante fought
for better textbooks and inspired his students to succeed by setting high standards and winning over his
tough students. The movieStand and Deliver is about how his students proved they could succeed by
passing a very difficult math test before college.
Roberto Clemente
Baseball Player
Puerto Rican
1934–1972
Proud of his Puerto Rican roots, Roberto Clemente drew attention to the excellence of Latin American
players in Major League baseball during the 1960s and early 1970s. A player for the Pittsburgh Pirates,
he was the first Puerto Rican to be voted Most Valuable Player. A great fielder and hitter, Clemente was
loved by many because of his deep concern for people and work on behalf of his native Puerto Ricans.
Clemente was killed in a plane crash on his way to take supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua on
New Year's Eve 1972. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973.
Rita Moreno
Actor
Puerto Rican
Born 1932
Rita Moreno is one of only two female performers ever to be given all four of entertainment's biggest
awards. She has won a Tony, for theater; a Grammy, for music; an Emmy, for television; and an Oscar for
her role in the musical West Side Story. (Barbara Streisand is the other.) She has acted in more than 25
movies and has performed for the president of the United States.
Antonia C. Novello
Doctor, Former United States Surgeon General
Puerto Rican
Born 1944
In 1990, Antonia Novello became the first Hispanic person — and first woman as well — to be appointed
as Surgeon General, the chief doctor in the United States. As a child, she had a chronic illness that hurt
her digestion, causing her great suffering. She never forgot that experience. As surgeon general, Novello
especially campaigned for better care for children. She also paid special attention to the problems of
alcoholism, smoking, AIDS, and violence.
Franklin R. Chang-Díaz
Astronaut
Costa Rican American
Born 1950
Raised in a poor family in Costa Rica, Franklin Chang-Díaz studied hard to become a scientist. He also
became a U.S. citizen. Chang-Díaz was the first Hispanic person to enter the space program, becoming
an astronaut in 1981. He is a veteran of six space missions and has spent nearly 1,300 hours in space
Fernando Bujones
Ballet Dancer
Cuban American
Born 1955
Fernando Bujones is a ballet dancer who is known all over the world. In 1973, he became the first
American male to win the Gold Medal at the International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria. This competition
is sometimes called the Olympics of the ballet world. Known for his grace and power, Bujones has
danced with many ballet companies around the world.
Nancy Lopez
Professional Golfer
Mexican American
Born 1957
Nancy Lopez is one of the greatest women golfers of all time. She had an early start at greatness — she
began to play golf at age 8. She was only 12 when she won the New Mexico Women's Amateur
tournament. One of the top pro golf money winners of all time, Lopez has won 48 titles. In 1989, she was
inducted into the PGA World Golf Hall of Fame.
Gloria Estefan
Singer and Musician
Cuban American
Born 1957
Gloria Estefan has been loved and admired by people throughout the world not only for her music, but for
her bravery in the face of difficulties. Born in Cuba, Estefan came to Miami, Florida, as a young child
when her parents fled the Communist government of Fidel Castro. In the late 1970s, she became a singer
with the group Miami Sound Machine. The group became very famous. Estefan won awards for her music
and for her work on causes such as campaigning against drugs. In 1990, a terrible accident occurred.
Estefan and her family were traveling in their bus when it was hit by a truck. The singer suffered serious
injuries. Through patience, hard work, and good fortune, however, she was able to recover fully and
return to the stage. Her music remains appreciated by millions of listeners.
Ellen Ochoa
Astronaut
Mexican American
Born 1958
Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman to become an astronaut. A veteran of two space flights, she
first flew in space on the shuttleDiscovery in 1993. Sally Ride, the first woman astronaut in the U.S., was
one of her role models. Ochoa is not only an astronaut but also an inventor, holding three patents. When
she is in space, she says that she loves "looking out the window at the Earth."
Andy Garcia
Actor
Cuban-American
Born 1956
His major break came after playing opposite Kevin Costner in the 1987 Brian de Palma’s blockbuster
movie “The Untouchables.” But what brought this famous Hispanic actor into international stardom was
his role as Sonny Corleone’s illegitimate child in “Godfather” Part III — earning him an Academy Award
nomination for best supporting actor in this 1990 classic trilogy.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Congresswoman
Cuban American
Born 1952
In 1982, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen became the first Hispanic woman and first Cuban American to be elected to
the U.S. Congress. When she was 7 years old, her family fled Communist forces in Cuba. Today, the
Republican congresswoman strongly opposes Communism in Cuba. She advocates for human rights
around the world.
María Irene Fornés
Playwright
Cuban American
Born 1930
María Irene Fornés has written more than 35 plays, many of them about the lives of Latinos and women.
She has won six Obie Awards — the highest award for off-Broadway plays — plus many other honors.
She helps young Latinos get started in the theater.
Dolores Huerta
Union Leader
Mexican American
Born 1930
Dolores Huerta has devoted her whole life to better treatment and justice for farm workers. Along with
César Chávez, she co-founded the United Farm Workers of America. She negotiated the first labor
contract for the migrant farm workers and helped get the growers to agree to stop using dangerous
chemicals on grapes. Because of a boycott Huerta led in 1970, urging people not to buy California
grapes, the grape industry agreed to treat the workers better.
Federico Peña
Former United States Secretary of Transportation,
Former Secretary of Energy
Mexican American
Born 1947
Federico Peña was the highest-ranking Hispanic member of President Bill Clinton's administration. He
worked to improve the safety of jets and planes as Secretary of Transportation from 1993–97. Then Peña
became Secretary of Energy, from 1997 to 1998. In that position, Peña focused on improving energy
research and supporting schools in getting access to the Internet, among other efforts.
Juan Seguín
Soldier, Texas State Senator
Mexican American
1806–1889
In 1836, Juan Seguín fought for Texan independence from Mexico in the Battle of the Alamo. He survived
the siege only because he left to gather reinforcements. Seguín felt the Mexican government had too
much power and believed Texans could rule themselves. Although he was elected mayor of San Antonio
at one time, he and others of Mexican background were harassed by many white settlers in Texas. He
eventually died in Mexico, across the Rio Grande from the land for whose independence he had risked
his life.
Ezequiel Cabeza de Baca
Governor of New Mexico
Mexican American
1864–1917
Ezequiel Cabeza de Baca, New Mexico's second governor, was the first ever elected Latino governor in
the United States. DeBaca County, New Mexico, is named for him.
Dennis Chávez
U.S. Senator
Mexican American
1888–1962
As a United States senator, Dennis Chávez battled for the rights of Hispanic residents and Native
Americans in his home state, New Mexico. He was a senator for 27 years, from 1935 to 1962. Chávez
tried to stop discrimination against workers based on their race, religion, or ethnic background. He played
a major role in the establishment of an agency to protect workers, known as the Fair Employment
Practices Commission.
Fabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert
Nutritionist, Organizer, Author
Spanish American
1898–Year of Death Unknown
Fabiola Cabeza de Baca Gilbert was responsible for advances made in making foods safer for people in
the Southwest. She taught people all over New Mexico safe ways to preserve food through canning and
drying methods. Also, she organized markets where Native American women could sell their handicrafts.
As an author, she wrote books on New Mexican traditions and folklore.
Luis Muñoz Marín
Governor of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rican
1898–1980
After holding many offices in Puerto Rico and improving ties with the U.S., Luis Muñoz Marín was the first
governor elected by the people of Puerto Rico in 1947. He was one of the people who drafted Puerto
Rico's constitution and helped lead Puerto Rico in becoming a self-governing Commonwealth. Muñoz
Marín worked for the cause of poor people to own land and also to draw businesses to Puerto Rico.