Henry B. González | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's20th district | |
| In office November 4, 1961 – January 3, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Paul J. Kilday |
| Succeeded by | Charlie Gonzalez |
| Ranking Member of theHouse Financial Services Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Leach |
| Succeeded by | John LaFalce |
| Chair of theHouse Financial Services Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1989 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Fernand St. Germain |
| Succeeded by | Jim Leach |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Enrique Barbosa González (1916-05-03)May 3, 1916 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 28, 2000(2000-11-28) (aged 84) San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 8, includingCharlie |
| Education | San Antonio College University of Texas, Austin (BA) St. Mary's University, Texas (JD) |
Henry Barbosa González (bornEnrique Barbosa González;[1] May 3, 1916 – November 28, 2000) was an AmericanDemocraticpolitician from theU.S. state ofTexas, who representedTexas's 20th congressional district from 1961 to 1999.[2] He is the longest serving Hispanic in Congress and a founding member of theCongressional Hispanic Caucus.[3]
González was born inSan Antonio, Texas, the son of Mexican-born parents Genoveva (née Barbosa) and Leonides Gonzalez (fromMapimí, Durango), who had immigrated during theMexican Revolution.[4] After he received anassociate's degree fromSan Antonio College, he earned his undergraduate credentials from theUniversity of Texas at Austin. Later, he received aJuris Doctor fromSt. Mary's University School of Law, also in San Antonio. Upon graduation, he became a probation officer, and was quickly promoted to the chief office ofBexar County, Texas. In 1945 he quit after a judge refused to allow him to add an African-American probation officer to his staff.[5] In 1950 he wasscoutmaster of Troop 90 in San Antonio,[6] of which hisson was a member.[7]
González served on the San Antonio City Council from 1953 to 1956. As a city councilmember, González helped desegregate swimming pools and other public accommodations in San Antonio.[8][9]
In 1956 González defeatedRepublican candidate Jesse Oppenheimer for a seat in theTexas Senate. In 1960 he defeated another Republican, Ika "Ike" Simpson Kampmann, Jr. (1918-2006), to hold his state Senate seat.[10] He remained in the Senate until 1961 and set the filibuster record in the chamber at the time[11] by speaking for thirty-six straight hours against a set of bills onsegregation.[12] Most of the bills were abandoned (eight out of ten).
He ran forgovernor in 1958 and finished second in the Democraticprimary (the real contest for governor in what was then a solidly Democratic state) toPrice Daniel. In May 1961 González ran in the special election for theSenate seat thatLyndon B. Johnson vacated to becomeU.S. Vice President. He finished in sixth place in part because he split the liberal and Hispanic vote withMaury Maverick, Jr., of San Antonio.[citation needed]
In September 1961 PresidentKennedy appointed Rep.Paul J. Kilday ofTexas's 20th congressional district to theCourt of Military Appeals. González entered the special election for the San Antonio-based district in November 1961 and defeated a strong Republican candidate, attorneyJohn W. Goode, whom former U.S. PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower flew to San Antonio to endorse.[10] Mexican film starCantinflas appeared with Vice President Johnson atshopping centers andsupermarkets in San Antonio to support González, who would never face another contest nearly that close.[13] He was unopposed for a full term in 1962 and was reelected seventeen times thereafter. He never faced truly serious or well-funded opposition, having been unopposed in 1970, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, and 1984. In fact, the 20th district was (and remains) so heavily Democratic that González faced Republican opposition only five times and handily prevailed whenever challenged.
González became known for his staunchly liberal views. In 1963, Republican U.S. RepresentativeEd Foreman called González "acommunist" and "apinko" and González confronted him. González was again referred to as "a communist" in 1986 by a man atEarl Abel's restaurant, a popular San Antonio eatery. The 70-year-old representative responded by punching him in the face. González was acquitted of assault for this incident when the restaurant patron dropped the charge.[14]
Unlike many southern politicians at the time, González vocally supported civil rights proposals.[8][9] He voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1964 and1968,[15][16] and theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[17]
González was in President Kennedy'sfateful motorcade throughDallas on November 22, 1963.[18] He recalled rolling down the window as his car neared theTexas School Book Depository, then hearing three distinct shots during the assassination.[18] González's car proceeded toParkland Memorial Hospital where, upon seeing a blood-soaked bouquet of roses in the rear of thepresidential limousine, he initially believedJackie Kennedy had been shot.[18] There, he saw Lyndon Johnson,Lady Bird Johnson, Mrs. Kennedy, and President Kennedy's sheet covered body.[18] González helped place Kennedy's casket in the hearse that transported Kennedy toAir Force One.[18]
Reported to be unsettled by the effect that the assassinations of John F. Kennedy,Robert F. Kennedy, andMartin Luther King Jr. had on the nation, González pushed in 1975 for aHouse committee study.[18] In 1976 theUnited States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) was created to investigate the deaths of President Kennedy andKing, and González succeededThomas N. Downing as its chairman in January 1977.[18][19] After a power struggle with the HSCA'scounsel, he resigned as the committee's chairman that same year.[18] Shortly before González chaired the HSCA, Robert P. Gemberling, head of the FBI's investigation of the Kennedy assassination for thirteen years after the release of theWarren Commission's report, said González, as well as Downing, had "preconceived conspiracy theories".[19] According to a 1992 report, González did not rule out the possibility of shots other than the three he heard were fired from asilencer.[18]
Following theUnited States invasion of Grenada in 1983, González suggested theimpeachment of PresidentRonald Reagan, and he introduced articles of impeachment related to theIran–Contra scandal and sent them to theHouse Judiciary Committee in 1987. No further action was taken on said articles.[5][20][21][22] González later called for the impeachment of PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush for not obtainingCongressional approval before the 1991Gulf War.[5][23] Early in thepresidency of Bill Clinton, González also blocked hearings into theWhitewater controversy until finally agreeing to hold hearings in 1994.[24][25] González was an outspoken critic of theFederal Reserve System, and proposed an audit and introduced bills to impeachPaul Volcker and other Governors of the Federal Reserve.[26]
In 1997 González fell ill and was unable to return to the House for over a year. Finally, he decided not to run for a 19th full term in 1998. He died in a San Antonio hospital on November 28, 2000.
He had long groomed his son,Charlie, to succeed him. Charlie Gonzalez won easily in 1998 and served through January 2013; between them, father and son served 51 consecutive years in Congress.[1][27]
| Texas Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theTexas Senate from the26th district 1957–1961 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 20th congressional district 1961–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Financial Services Committee 1989–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Financial Services Committee 1995–1998 | Succeeded by |
 | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
