Overview
Henry L. "Hank" Lacayo was born in Los Angeles, California. In 1953, after serving in the Army, he became an employee with North American Aviation (now known as Rockwell International). While working in the tooling department of Rockwell's Los Angeles Airframe Division, Lacayo became a member of UAW Local 887. In 1962, he was elected president of the United Auto Workers Local 887. A short time later, he escorted UAW national President Walter P. Reuther onto an agricultural field in Delano, California to meet Cesar Chavez. In 1974, Lacayo moved to Detroit as the new National Director of UAW's political and legislative department, the first Hispanic to serve as a political director of a national union. Lacayo stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, as Martin Luther King delivered his "I have a dream" speech.
As the national director, Lacayo advised Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, and Clinton on labor concerns and issues, particularly with regards to the Hispanic community. In 1986, he moved back to California, where he continued to serve as Chairman of the Ventura County Democratic Party and on many other state and county boards and committees. He became the deputy campaign director and California state coordinator for the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in 1991. Mr. Lacayo also served on the CSU Channel Islands Foundation Board and was instrumental in securing funding for the Henry L. "Hank" Lacayo Institute for Workforce & Community Studies, which provides opportunities for students to engage in entrepreneurial studies. This collection was donated by the family of Hank Lacayo and consists of artifacts, correspondence, documents, ephemera, photographs, and political memorabilia.
Resources
Contact
Evelyn Taylor
University Archivist
Library Services Specialist III
805-437-8830
evelyn.taylor@csuci.edu