Adam Perez Diaz

Adam Perez Diaz (September 2, 1909 – March 5, 2010) was the first Hispanic elected to the Phoenix City Council and also the first Hispanic to serve as Phoenix's Vice-Mayor. Diaz was appointed to the National Council on Aging by President Bill Clinton. Díaz was among the first seven recipients of the Profiles of Success Hispanic Leadership Award's in the Hall of Fame category.

Early years Diaz was born to José Perez and Soledad Díaz Palacios in Flagstaff, Arizona. He was the second of five siblings born to Jose and Soledad. His parents fled from Mexico in 1908 because they feared that Mexican dictator Porfirio Díaz would condemn them for their support of an armed insurrection against him. He was the first out of his five siblings to be born in the United States; his sister Aurora was born in Mexico in 1906.

Move to Phoenix

In 1910, the family moved to Phoenix, where his father José was hired as an Arizona Eastern Railway's roundhouse operator. During this period of time, Diaz's siblings Salamon, Moises, Samuel, and Virgil Joseph were born. After experiencing discrimination there, Soledad and other Mexican women began selling enchiladas, tamales and other food to raise money to build a new Catholic church. The construction of this church, which was named Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, was finished in 1928 and is located at 909 E. Washington St.

In 1920, José found a job at the Luhrs Building, but the family continued to struggle economically. Adam Díaz attended Washington and Monroe elementary schools, but dropped out of school after completing the 8th grade to help his family financially. He went to work as a messenger boy for Western Union. It so happened that the Western Union office was located inside the Luhrs Building where his father worked. Díaz also ran for the Arizona State Senate in District 8-B.

Later years

Díaz received many honors and recognition during his lifetime. He was one of the first seven recipients of the Profiles of Success Hispanic Leadership Award's under the Hall of Fame category. The others were former Arizona Governor Raúl Héctor Castro, Maria Luisa Urquides, Bennie Gonzales, Dr. Maria Vega, Ruben Perez and Medal of Honor recipient Silvestre Herrera.

On September 1, 1994, he received a "Special Recognition of Excellence" which was presented by National Hispanic Heritage Month's Profiles of Success. On February 27, 1999, he was awarded a certificate recognizing him as an Arizona Historymaker by the Arizona Historical League. In 2007, the city of Phoenix named the Adam Díaz Senior Center in his honor.

Díaz met a lady who was known as Frances Z. and married her. On March 5, 2010, he became ill and died surrounded by family in his home in Phoenix. He was buried in St. Francis Catholic Cemetery in Phoenix. Frances, his second wife, died in 2016 and is buried alongside of him.