Martinez, Susana (1959-…), served as governor of New Mexico , a state in the southwestern United States , from 2011 to 2019. Martinez, a Republican , was the state’s first woman governor and the first Hispanic woman governor in the United States.
Martinez was born on July 14, 1959, in El Paso, Texas. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1981. In 1986, she received a law degree from the University of Oklahoma. She served as an assistant district attorney for New Mexico’s Third Judicial District—in Doña Ana County, in the southern part of the state—from 1986 to 1992. Martinez identified as a Democrat until 1995, when she switched her party allegiance to Republican. She was elected district attorney in 1996. She was reelected three times, serving in the position until 2010.
In 2010, New Mexico voters elected Martinez governor. She took office in 2011. As governor, Martinez focused on issues related to education, public corruption, transportation, and tax reform. She won reelection in 2014 and served until 2019.
