Oscar Zeta Acosta

Oscar Zeta Acosta (April 8, 1935 – disappeared 1974) was an American attorney, politician, minor novelist and Chicano Movement activist, perhaps best known for his friendship with the American author Hunter S. Thompson, who included him as a character, the Samoan Attorney, Dr. Gonzo, in his acclaimed novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Acosta was born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in a small San Joaquin Valley rural town named Riverbank near Mo... more

Oscar Zeta Acosta (April 8, 1935 – disappeared 1974) was an American attorney, politician, minor novelist and Chicano Movement activist, perhaps best known for his friendship with the American author Hunter S. Thompson, who included him as a character, the Samoan Attorney, Dr. Gonzo, in his acclaimed novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Acosta was born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in a small San Joaquin Valley rural town named Riverbank near Modesto, California. Acosta's father was drafted during World War II, so he had to take care of the family. At times, Acosta felt like an outsider and he presented his feelings of alienation, mistrust, and dislocation in his works. After finishing high school, Acosta joined the U.S. Air Force. He then worked his way through college, becoming the first member of his family to do so. He attended night classes at San Francisco Law School and passed the California Bar exam in 1966 on his second try. In 1967, Acosta began working as an antipoverty... less