Ted Cruz

official photo of Ted Cruz, c. 2013

Birth Name: Rafael Edward Cruz

Place of Birth: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Date of Birth: December 22, 1970

Ethnicity:
*50% Cuban [Spanish, possibly other]
*37.5% Irish
*12.5% Italian

Ted Cruz is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator. A Republican, he has served as a U.S. Senator from Texas, since January 3, 2013. He was a policy advisor in the George W. Bush administration, and Solicitor General of Texas, from January 9, 2003 to May 12, 2008. He had a leading role in the 2013 U.S. federal government shutdown.

He was a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for President of the United States in 2016.

Ted was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Ted’s father, Rafael Bienvenido Cruz, is a preacher and public speaker who previously worked in computers. Ted’s father was born in Matanzas, Cuba, and came to the United States in 1957, to attend the University of Texas. He later received political asylum in the U.S. Ted’s father became a Canadian citizen in the 1970s, and became a United States citizen in 2005. Ted’s paternal grandfather was born in the Canary Islands, in Spain. Ted’s mother, Eleanor Elizabeth (Darragh), also worked in computers. Ted’s mother was born in Delaware, U.S., and is of three quarters Irish and one quarter Italian descent. Ted was raised in the United States from a young age. He had dual citizenship between the United States and Canada, and renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2014. Ted is married to investment manager Heidi (Nelson) Cruz, with whom he has two children.

If elected President of the United States, Ted Cruz would be the second person born in the province of Alberta to serve as either Prime Minister of Canada or President of the United States (Joe Clark, who was born in High River, Alberta, served as Prime Minister of Canada from 1979 to 1980).

Ted’s paternal grandfather was Rafael Cruz Gonzalez (the son of Agustin Cruz and Maria Gonzalez). Ted’s grandfather Rafael was either from the Canary Islands, Spain, and moved to Cuba; or was born in Cuba.

Ted’s paternal grandmother was named Emilia Laudelina Diaz (the daughter of Juan Diaz and Lola). Laudelina likely was born in Cuba.

Ted’s maternal grandfather was Edward John Darragh/Darrah (the son of Edward John Darragh/Darrah and Ellen/Ella T./J. Haggerty). Ted’s grandfather Edward was born in Delaware. Ted’s great-grandfather Edward was the son of Edward John Darragh, who was born in Pennsylvania, to Irish parents, and of Sarah Annie Welsh/Welch/Walsh, who was born in Pennsylvania, also to Irish parents. Ted’s great-grandmother Ellen was born in Pennsylvania, the daughter of Irish parents, John Haggerty and Roseanna/Rosanna Quinn.

Ted’s maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Eleanor Cekine (the daughter of Domenico/Dominic/Dominick/Domenico “John” Cicchini/Cekine and Mary Lonergan). Elizabeth was born in Delaware. Ted’s great-grandfather Domenico was born in Villamagna, Abruzzo, Italy, and was the son of Antonio Cicchini and Concetta Evangelista. Ted’s great-grandmother Mary was born in County Tipperary, Ireland, the daughter of Thomas Lonergan and Mary Poon.

Ted Cruz is the first person of Hispanic ancestry to have won a caucus and/or primary for a major American political party’s Presidential nomination. He won 11 contests in 2016, with the Iowa caucuses being the first. Marco Rubio, also in 2016, is the second. Cruz and Rubio are also the only people born in the 1970s to have won a major party’s presidential caucus and/or primary (thus far).

Ted is one of several people of Hispanic ancestry to have mounted a major campaign for President of the United States. The others were/are:
*Ben Fernandez (who sought the 1980, 1984, and 1988 Republican nominations; Fernandez’s parents were Mexican)
*Bill Richardson (who sought the 2008 Democratic nomination; three of Richardson’s grandparents were Hispanic)
*Marco Rubio (2016; Republican; won 3 contests; Rubio’s parents are Cuban)
*Richard Ojeda (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; Ojeda’s paternal grandfather was Mexican)
*Julián Castro (who sought the 2020 Democratic nomination; Castro is of Mexican descent)
*Francis Suarez (who sought the 2024 Republican nomination; Suarez is of Cuban descent)

Several prominent candidates for President of the United States can be considered Hispanic in a sense, though they were not of Spanish and/or Indigenous ancestry:
*George W. Romney (who sought the 1968 Republican nomination, and whose name was placed in nomination for 1964’s; he was born in Mexico, of non-Hispanic descent)
*Pierre S. du Pont IV (who sought the 1988 Republican nomination; his maternal grandfather was born in Chile, of non-Hispanic descent)
*John McCain (who sought the 2000 Republican nomination, and who was the 2008 Republican nominee; he was born in Panama, of non-Hispanic descent)
*Mitt Romney (who sought the 2008 Republican nomination, and who was the 2012 Republican nominee; his father George was born in Mexico, of non-Hispanic descent)

Sources: Information about Ted’s ancestry, by Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak – https://medium.com

Genealogy of Ted Cruz – http://www.geni.com

Ted’s maternal great-grandfather, Edward John Darragh/Darrah, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Ted’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Edward John Darragh, on the 1860 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org

Ted’s maternal great-grandmother, Ellen T. Haggerty, on the 1880 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org