Peña, Federico Fabian, << PAY nyah, fehd uh REE koh fah bee AHN >> (1947-…), served as United States secretary of transportation from January 1993 to January 1997 and as secretary of energy from January 1997 to June 1998, when he resigned. Peña, a Mexican American, was the first Hispanic American to hold either of these Cabinet offices. A Democrat, Peña served under President Bill Clinton. From 1983 to 1991, he had been mayor of Denver. Peña was the city’s first Hispanic mayor.
Peña was born on March 15, 1947, in Laredo, Texas, and grew up in Brownsville. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1969 and a law degree in 1972. In 1973, he and his brother Alfredo established a law firm in Denver called Peña and Peña. As a lawyer, Federico handled civil rights cases that dealt with police brutality and voting rights for Hispanics. He also worked to promote bilingual education and better funding of public schools in Hispanic neighborhoods. In 1978, Peña was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives. He served as minority speaker of the Colorado House from 1981 to 1983.
