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    Nina Otero-Warren Quarter

    Nina Otero-Warren (1881 – 1965) was an American suffragist, educator, and politician who was responsible for several key firsts for Latinas during her lifetime. For her efforts, she was honored on the fourth coin released as part of the US Mint’s American Women Quarters Program. 

    Otero-Warren, like every other honoree on the quarters, achieved great things during her lifetime. However, her story may be a bit less-known than some of the other women, so it’s important to understand how her inclusion is completely justified. 

    This page tells that story. So, let’s discuss her life, legacy, and how she is honored on the 2022 quarter.

    Biography

    Adelina Isabel Emilia Luna Otero was born on October 23, 1881, at her family’s home near Las Lunas, New Mexico. “Nina,” as she became known, was one of three children born to Manuel and Eloisa Otero, who were wealthy and prominent citizens that traced their roots back to the initial Spanish conquest of Mexico.

    Unfortunately, Manuel’s wealth and, more specifically, land ownership precipitated the circumstances that led to his death. He was killed in 1883 after a dispute with white people in the area over the legitimacy of his claims. Young Nina did not retain any memory of her father.

    However, her mother, whose roots stretched back for centuries, hired a governess to care for Nina. This governess, Mary Elizabeth “Teta” Doyle, was an Irishwoman who remained a key figure in Nina Otero’s life for the rest of her days.

    Her mother remarried an Englishman in 1886, and the family eventually grew to include 12 children. Nina, the second-oldest, often served as a mentor to her younger siblings. 

    The family moved to Santa Fe in 1897 when her father’s cousin, Miguel, became the territorial governor of New Mexico. The family members remained prominent figures in Santa Fe for several years.

    Nina Otero became Nina Otero-Warren when she married Rawson Warren, an Army officer, in 1908. Although the marriage lasted only two years, Nina kept her hyphenated name as her own for the remainder of his life. However, due to existing cultural opinions about divorce, she often referred to herself as a widow.

    Otero-Warren moved to New York City in 1912 and joined the social settlement movement there, which sought to aid immigrants in their transition to life in the US. This experience marked the first time that Otero-Warren began her passionate service of women and people of color. 

    After her mother’s death in 1914, she moved back to Santa Fe to care for her younger siblings. However, her fire for women’s suffrage continued to burn. She advocated for the cause in both English and Spanish and strove to ensure that suffrage materials in New Mexico were available in both languages.

    Her efforts eventually drew the attention of Alice Paul, who headed the national suffrage movement under the banner of the Congressional Union. Paul tabbed Otero-Warren to head the New Mexico arm of the organization.

    Otero-Warren and Paul achieved their goal three years later. Their suffrage efforts paid off with the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, which granted women the right to vote. The amendment justifiably remains the law of the land to this day.

    However, Otero-Warren didn’t just focus on a single topic. She also was a trailblazer, as she became the first woman elected to public office in New Mexico in 1918. After her appointment as Superintendent of Public Schools for Santa Fe in 1917, she defeated a male challenger to retain her position. 

    Otero-Warren wasn’t finished with her pioneering ways, though. In 1922, she made history by becoming the first Latina to run as a candidate for the US Congress. 

    Though she, as the Republican candidate, lost the election, there was no denying that she was a key political figure in the new State of New Mexico (New Mexico achieved statehood in 1912). She followed her Congressional run by becoming the Inspector of Indian Schools for Santa Fe County, and held that position concurrently with her Superintendent role until 1929.

    As Otero-Warren entered her fifties, her interests seemed to shift. She joined her finances with a close friend, Mamie Meadors, to purchase more than 1200 acres of land outside of Santa Fe. This homestead, which they named the Las Dos Ranch, would be her home base for the rest of her life.

    At Las Dos, she worked on her book, Old Spain in Our Southwest, a partial memoir about her childhood and a history and description of Hispano culture – the culture of her Spain-to-Mexico heritage. She published the book in 1936.

    She and Meadors continued to live their lives at the ranch. In 1947, the two founded the Las Dos Realty and Insurance company, which Meadors ran until her death in 1951. Otero-Warren took over the business at that point, and operated it until her own death in 1965 at age 83.

    Legacy

    As mentioned, Otero-Warren’s story is not as well-known as that of some of the other honorees. She became the namesake of an elementary school in Colorado in 1988, but she mostly became a part of the overall historical backdrop of the women’s suffrage movement.

    However, her inclusion in the American Women Quarters Program dispelled the historical oversight about Otero-Warren’s life. So, let’s talk about the coin itself.

    The 2022 Quarter

    Like all quarters since 1932, the obverse of the Nina Otero-Warren features the visage of George Washington. The first president faces to the right, and his hair is tied up in a neat ponytail, as befitting the style of his day.

    The reverse features a stately picture of Otero-Warren sitting peacefully, her fingers interlaced in front of her. She is flanked by three yucca flowers, the state flower of her home state of New Mexico.

    The most prominent feature on the coin, however, is the phrase “VOTO PARA LA MUJER.” This phrase, stamped in bold lettering, translates from Spanish as “Votes for Women,” the Spanish equivalent of the suffragist slogan.

    It is a fitting tribute to Ms. Otero-Warren, who championed the overlooked and oppressed for her entire adult life. She deserves to be on the quarter.

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