Dennis Chávez, a Democrat from New Mexico, was America's first Hispanic senator-and the only non-white member of the U.S. Senate from 1935 to 1962. The civil rights legislation of the 1960s grew directly out of his efforts in the 1940s, as he became a leading advocate for minorities nationwide. Chávez also led the anti-McCarthy protests and became a close confidant of presidents Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy.