On March 30, 2022 the Commissioner Courtroom was renamed to Judge Alicia R. Chacón County Commissioners Courtroom in honor of her distinguished career in public service. Judge Chacón was the first woman elected County Judge of El Paso County and first Mexican-American elected to that post in 100 years. Judge Chacón was born in Canutillo, Texas and raised in the Ysleta area of El Paso. Texas graduating from Ysleta High School in 1957.

Judge Chacón’s first interest in politics came when she worked on Ralph Yarbrough’s campaign for United States Senate, she would join the Democratic Party after graduating high school. She will then began paving the way for Mexican-Americans and women in public office. After organizing with other parents in Ysleta’s PTA to ask for better conditions in schools, Judge Chacón decided to run for office. In 1970 she became the first Mexican American to on the Ysleta Independent School District (YISD) Board of Trustees and served two terms.

From 1974 to 1978 Judge Chacón broke barriers becoming the first woman to serve in local government in El Paso as the County Clerk of El Paso County. She also became the first El Pasoan to be elected to the Democratic National Committee (DNC); in which during this time she will also become the first woman to accept an appointment by President Jimmy Carter to serve as Regional Director of the Small Business Administration.

Judge Alicia Chacón would not stop serving her community there, she went on to serve two terms on El Paso City Council in 1983 and then onto serving as County Judge in 1990. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the community, she received numerous honors and awards. A few listed here: Texas Woman’s Hall of Fame in 1986, Distinguished Leadership Awards, West Texas Council of Governments in 1985 and 1986, Women of the Year in Politics, Women’s Politics Caucus in 1974, 1975, and 1984; Outstanding Ex-Student, Ysleta High School in 1977, and Humanitarian Award, El Paso Black Democrats in 1991.

The results of Judge Alicia Chacón’s work and effort remain in our community and her hope is that her example continues to pave the way for others to follow.