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Mel Martínez

Mel Martínez
Mel Martinez.jpg
General Chair of the Republican National Committee
In office
January 19, 2007 – October 19, 2007
Served with Mike Duncan (National Chair)
Preceded by Ken Mehlman (Chair)
Succeeded by Mike Duncan (Chair)
United States Senator
from Florida
In office
January 3, 2005 – September 9, 2009
Preceded by Bob Graham
Succeeded by George LeMieux
12th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
In office
January 24, 2001 – December 13, 2003
President George W. Bush
Preceded by Andrew Cuomo
Succeeded by Alphonso Jackson
Personal details
Born Melquíades Rafael Martínez Ruiz
(1946-10-23) October 23, 1946 (age 70)
Sagua La Grande, Cuba
Political party Republican
Spouse(s) Kitty Martínez
Children 3
Education Orlando Junior College
Florida State University, Tallahassee (BA, JD)

Melquíades Rafael Martínez Ruiz, usually known as Mel Martínez (born October 23, 1946), is an American lobbyist and former politician who served as a United States Senator from Florida from 2005 to 2009 and as chairman of the Republican Party from November 2006 until October 19, 2007, the first Latino to serve as chairman of a major party. Previously, Martínez served as the 12th Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George W. Bush. Martínez is a Cuban-American and Roman Catholic. He announced he was resigning as chairman of the Republican National Committee on October 19, 2007.

Martínez resigned his United States Cabinet post on December 12, 2003, to run for the open U.S. Senate seat in Florida being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Bob Graham. Martínez secured the Republican nomination and narrowly defeated the Democratic nominee, Betty Castor. His election made him the first Cuban-American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Furthermore, he and Ken Salazar (who is Mexican-American) were the first Hispanic U.S. Senators since 1977. They were joined by a third, Bob Menéndez (who is also Cuban-American) in January 2006, until Salazar resigned from the Senate on January 20, 2009, to become Secretary of the Interior. On December 2, 2008, Martínez announced he would not be running for re-election to the Senate in 2010.


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