Kika de la Garza | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse Agriculture Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Foley |
| Succeeded by | Pat Roberts |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's15th district | |
| In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Joe M. Kilgore |
| Succeeded by | Rubén Hinojosa |
| Member of theTexas House of Representatives from the 38th district | |
| In office January 1953 – January 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Bud Atwood |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Eligio de la Garza II (1927-09-22)September 22, 1927 Mercedes, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | March 13, 2017(2017-03-13) (aged 89) McAllen, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Edinburg Junior College St. Mary's University, Texas (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy United States Army |
| Years of service | 1945–1946 (Navy) 1950–1952 (Army) |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
De la Garza on the conference report for the1990 farm bill. Recorded October 23, 1990 | |
Eligio "Kika"de la Garza II (September 22, 1927 – March 13, 2017) was an American lawyer,Korean War veteran, and politician who served 16 consecutive terms as theDemocratic representative for the15th congressional district ofTexas from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1997.
De la Garza was born on September 22, 1927[1] and grew up in the city ofMission inHidalgo County.
At the age of 17, he entered theUnited States Navy and served for two years. De la Garza chose to continue his education atEdinburg Junior College. Returned to military service in theUnited States Army Artillery School atFort Sill inOklahoma.
For two years beginning in 1952, he was alieutenant in the Army, serving in the37th Field Artillery Regiment deployed in theKorean War.
After returning home, he completed his law degree atSt. Mary's University School of Law inSan Antonio.
After practicing law for several years in theRio Grande Valley, he was elected to theTexas House of Representatives, where he served from 1953 to 1965.
While in the state House, de la Garza was known for sponsoring a large amount of legislation in the fields of education and the environment. He authored bills to protectwetlands, create state-sponsored preschools, and create more international bridges toMexico. He was the onlyHispanic member of the Texas House for the first two years of his tenure, but was joined in 1957 by a secondMexican American member, Oscar M. Laurel ofLaredo.
In 1964, de la Garza, a strong supporter of U.S. PresidentLyndon B. Johnson, ran for theUnited States House of Representatives and won a seat in South Texas. From 1981 to 1994, he was the chairman of theAgriculture Committee, leading the way in passing bills that reorganized the agricultural lending system, the farm insurance system, theUnited States Department of Agriculture, andpesticide laws. He was also a founding member of theCongressional Hispanic Caucus.
De la Garza voted in favor of theVoting Rights Act of 1965,[2] theCivil Rights Act of 1968,[3] and called for smoother relations between the U.S. and Mexico. He worked to improve trade between the two nations and was critical in passing the legislation that enacted theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
De la Garza retired from public service in 1997. Upon his return home to Texas, he donated his entireCongressional archive to his alma mater, which had by then been renamed to theUniversity of Texas–Pan American.[4] Currently,[when?] the collection is housed at theUTRGV Edinburg Campus library. The archive was unveiled publicly in 2012.[4]
He resided inMcAllen, Texas, with his wife Lucille until his death on March 13, 2017, of kidney failure. He is buried at the Valley Memorial Gardens in McAllen.[5][1]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 15th congressional district 1965–1997 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Agriculture Committee 1981–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theCongressional Hispanic Caucus 1989–1991 | Succeeded by |
Chairs of theCongressional Hispanic Caucus | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
