Kika de la Garza

Kika de la Garza

Eligio "Kika" de la Garza (born September 22, 1927 in Mercedes , Hidalgo County , Texas , † March 13, 2017 in McAllen , Texas) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ). Between 1965 and 1997 he represented the state of Texas in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Kika de la Garza attended Mission High School in Edinburgh and Texas Junior College . In 1945 and 1946 he served in the US Navy at the end of World War II . Between 1950 and 1952 he was deployed as a lieutenant in the US Army in Korea , among other places . After completing a law degree at St. Mary's University in San Antonio and being admitted to the bar in 1952, he began his missionto work in this profession. At the same time he embarked on a political career as a member of the Democratic Party. Between 1952 and 1964 he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives .

In the 1964 congressional election , de la Garza was elected to the 15th  constituency of Texas in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , where he succeeded Joe M. Kilgore on January 3, 1965 . After 15 re-elections, he was able to complete a total of 16 legislative terms in Congress by January 3, 1997 . During this time, the Vietnam War , the end of the civil rights movement and the Watergate affair took place . Between 1981 and 1995 he headed the Agriculture Committee . De la Garza was a supporter of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and campaigned for the improvement of education as well as the environment.

In 1996, Kika de la Garza renounced another candidacy. After his time in the US House of Representatives, he withdrew from politics. Most recently he lived in McAllen with his wife .

Web links

• Kika de la Garza in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mitchell Ferman: Eligio “Kika” de la Garza dead at 89 . The Brownsville Herald, March 13, 2017, accessed March 15, 2017.