A leader in the women’s suffrage movement and the first Hispanic woman to run for Congress, she also served as the first female superintendent of schools in her city.

Born in 1881 into a wealthy family on a hacienda in what is now New Mexico, Adelina “Nina” Otero-Warren lost her father when she was just a toddler. Her mother would remarry and Nina became the oldest of 12 siblings. She was educated, as were all of the children in her family, even attending a school in far-from-home St. Louis. 

When her cousin became governor of the New Mexico Territory, she moved with her family to Santa Fe. There Nina involved herself in the social circles of the wealthy citizens. At 26 years old, she married the commanding officer of the nearby calvary, but the marriage only lasted two years. She kept the married hyphenated name for the rest of life and claimed to be a widow, citing the prejudice divorce women faced as her reason.

Soon, Nina got involved in the cause for women’s suffrage in New Mexico, which had become a state in 1912. When her mother died two years later, she took on the care of her younger siblings in addition to her political work. She realized the necessity of printing pamphlets in both English and Spanish, to better reach the local population. Named vice president of the state branch of what later became the National Woman’s Party, Nina tapped her political connections to aid the ratification of the 19th Amendment by New Mexico’s state legislature. 

In addition to her lobbying for women’s votes and caring for her siblings, Nina was appointed to a new position in 1918. She became the first female superintendent of schools in Santa Fe County. Nina promoted adult education programs. A county high school was established. She fought the federal government’s pressure to assimilate cultural groups, and instead encouraged bicultural education. She raised teacher standards and salaries. When up for re-election, Nina defeated her male opponent. In addition to the superintendent position, she was Santa Fe’s County Inspector of Indian Schools. Outspoken against the poor condition she discovered in the schools, she argued against boarding schools and promoted public health and welfare. She held the job for over a decade, tirelessly striving to improve school conditions for those in the rural Hispanic and Native American communities. 

After her time as schools superintendent, Nina became interested in a higher government office. She secured the Republican nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1921, becoming the first Hispanic woman to run. She lost the race by less than 9 percent. Though she would not run again, she stayed active in causes that mattered to her, including the state board of health, the American Red Cross, and adult literacy.

She published the book Old Spain in Our Southwest in 1936 which has stories about her childhood. Nina is featured on a 2022 quarter in the American Women Quarters program by the U.S. Mint. Read her book, or a book about her, which you can find on my bookshelf here. This is an affiliate link; thank you for your support of my work.