Dennis Chavez quit school at the age of 13 to work in politics. He helped a local Democratic candidate and was awarded a clerkship in Washington, DC, to assist Sen. Andrieus A. Jones as a Spanish-speaking interpreter. The experience encouraged Chavez to continue his interest in law and political science. He returned to Albuquerque in with a law degree from Georgetown University to practice law and serve in the state legislature. He spent two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, was appointed to fill an unexpired Senate term in 1935, and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1936, 1940, 1946, and 1952. A staunch New Dealer, he fought to develop resources in the West and supported of the causes of native Americans.