Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated incumbent Republican President Herbert Hoover in a national landslide in 1932. His victory was due to the enthusiastic support of people around the country who took part in the Roosevelt Caravan. People from all walks of life worked hard campaigning for change during a perilous time in our nation. An era similar to what the U.S. is currently experiencing with the economy teetering due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 1932 the country was also in the midst of the Great Depression. New Mexico was suffering with the rest of the region in what became known as the Dust Bowl era.
Reaching Out in Rural New Mexico
Sen. Dennis Chavez (1888–1962) touted by area newspapers as the greatest born New Mexican living or dead. In reality, he was a political powerhouse and a tough, seasoned veteran of the state’s turbulent political wars. In 1935, the New Mexico electorate sent him to the Senate where he resumed the role of Sen. Bronson Cutting after his death in a plane crash. During his 27 years in office one of his many accomplishments was helping to pass legislation establishing the Pan American Highway. In 1932 he traveled throughout the villages and towns of New Mexico campaigning for President Franklin D. Roosevelt. His statue is one of two from New Mexico on display in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.