- Took a 25 day fast in 1968 to affirm UFW's commitment to nonviolence. The late senator Robert F. Kennedy flew to Delano, California to be with Chavez when he ended the fast. He called Chavez "one of the heroic figures of our time."
- Posthumously awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom on August 8, 1994 by President Bill Clinton. Only second Mexican American in history to be awarded this honor.
- Joined U.S. Navy in 1945. Served in Pacific during end of World War II.
- Founded United Farm Workers in 1966.
- Advocated nonviolence a la Mohandas K. Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..
- Over 40,000 people attended his funeral in Delano, California.
- Children: Fernando Chavez, Eloise Chavez Carrillo, Anna Chavez Ybarra, Sylvia Chavez Delgado, Elizabeth Chavez Villarino, Anthony Chavez, Linda Chávez Rodríguez, and Paul Chavez.
- Brother of Richard Chavez.
- Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume 3, 1991-1993, pages 105-107. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2001.
- His top aide Dr. Marion Theresa Moses , born on 24 January 1936, in Wheeling, West Virginia died in San Francisco, 28 August 2020.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
