During his years in the lower House, Dennis served New Mexico's interests through sponsoring legislation that continues to benefit the state. Examples of his project sponsorship include reclamation projects affecting the Elephant Butte Dam Project and the Carlsbad Irrigation Project.  In 1932, he was appointed chairmanof the Indian Affairs Commitee and in 1933 sponsored a bill athorizing compensatory payments of $750,000 to New Mexico Pueblo Indians for misapproprited lands.

In 1935, following the dealth of Senator Bronson Cutting, Dennis was appointed by Govenor Clyde Tingley to fill the vacancy. He handily won election to the office the following year, serving in the Senate until his death in 1962.

Throughout his Senate career, Dennis was concerned with the development of resources in the West. He actively supported measures such as water and soil conservation programs, transpportation, federal crop insurance, and most importantly for New Mexico, rural electrification. Beginning in 1937, he introduced the first of many bills to protect Indian lands, citizenship, voting rights and self-determination. Thoughout the 1940s and 1950s, he advocated national education measures.

On the international level, Dennis supported Americ's entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). aS THE ONLY Spanish-speaking senator, he worked closely with U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull on forming the Good Neighbor Policy for Lating America.  He was particularly effective as President Roosevelt's personal emissary on the planning and development of the Pan American Highway. 

He became so involved with Puerto Rican problems that he was dubbed "Puerto Rico's Senator".

As a lifelong advocate of civil rights, he co-sponsored one of the first Senate bills to prohibit discrimiantion in employment. This bill, introduced in 1944, called the Fair Employment Practices Commission Bill, would prohibit discrimination based on race, religion, color, national origin or ancestory. Until the 1964 Civil Rights Bill, however, these rights remained unprotected.

At the height of anti-Communist sentiment in the 1950s, Dennis was among the first to denounce the tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. He frequently called on the Senate to return to "decency, sanity and the basic principles of due process."

At his death, he was fourth ranking in senioity and chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations and Public Works. he died in Washington on November 18, 1962, of a heart attack and was buried in Albuquerque three days later with Vice President Lydon B. Johnson providing the eulogy. He was survived by his wife, Imelda Espinosa (1890-1980), whom he had married on November 9, 1911, and their three children.
 

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American Hispanics Contributions to America, Senator
Dennis Chavez