American educator and politician who served as Secretary of Education, and was the first Hispanic to serve in the United States Cabinet.
A sixth-generation Texan, his father served as foreman of the showcase Santa Gertrudis cattle division. Through his maternal ancestry, he was a descendant of Texas Revolution heroine Francita Alavez, the “Angel of Goliad”.
He earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in zoology from Texas Tech University, and a Ph.D. in physiology from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Following a stint on the faculties of Tufts University and the Medical College of Virginia. From 1975-1980, he served as Dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine. From 15 April 1980 to 1988, he served as President of Texas Tech University. He was both the first alumnus and the first Hispanic to serve as Texas Tech president.
A Democrat, Cavazos served as Secretary of Education from August 1988 to December 1990 during the Republican Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations. He was forced to resign amid an investigation into improper use of frequent flyer miles in December 1990.
Following his resignation, he returned to the faculty of Tufts University where he was Professor of Public Health and Family Medicine. He married the former Peggy Ann Murdock. The couple had ten children and resided in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the brother of U.S. Army General Richard E. Cavazos. He died in Concord, Massachusetts, on 15 March 2022 at the age of 95.