Susana Martinez wasn’t the first female politician in New Mexico to make waves. Concha Ortiz y Pino de Kleven began her political career campaigning for Franklin Roosevelt, was elected to the New Mexico state Legislature in 1936 and became the first female majority whip of a state legislature in 1941.
Under President Lyndon Johnson, she went on to shape national policy for the disabled. By the time she passed away in 2006, her legacy was undeniable. Ana Pacheco, a friend of Ortiz y Pino de Kleven’s, lectures on the legislator’s life, from her ancestry to personal anecdotes.
“She was a dynamic powerhouse in her day, when women were just coming into their own. US presidents would pick up the phone if she called,” Pacheco tells SFR. “I think it’s important people know about a woman who did so much for the state.”
Complimentary copies of the biography ¡Concha! Concha Ortiz y Pino: Matriarch of a 300-Year-Old New Mexico Legacy, written by Kathryn Cordova and edited by Pacheco, are available at the lecture.