Kika de la Garza

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 the Democratic representative for the 15th congressional district of Texas from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1997.

Kika de la Garza
Chair of the House Agriculture Committee
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Tom Foley
Succeeded by	Pat Roberts
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 15th district
In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Joe M. Kilgore
Succeeded by	Rubén Hinojosa
Member of the Texas 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

Early life

De la Garza was born on September 22, 1927^[1] and grew up in the city of Mission in Hidalgo County.

At the age of 17, he entered the United States Navy and served for two years. De la Garza chose to continue his education at Edinburg Junior College. Returned to military service in the United States Army Artillery School at Fort Sill in Oklahoma.

Korean War

For two years beginning in 1952, he was a lieutenant in the Army, serving in the 37th Field Artillery Regiment deployed in the Korean War.

Legal career

After returning home, he completed his law degree at St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio.

Political career

Texas legislature

After practicing law for several years in the Rio Grande Valley, he was elected to the Texas 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 protect wetlands, create state-sponsored preschools, and create more international bridges to Mexico. He was the only Hispanic member of the Texas House for the first two years of his tenure, but was joined in 1957 by a second Mexican American member, Oscar M. Laurel of Laredo.

Congress

In 1964, de la Garza, a strong supporter of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, ran for the United States House of Representatives and won a seat in South Texas. From 1981 to 1994, he was the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, leading the way in passing bills that reorganized the agricultural lending system, the farm insurance system, the United States Department of Agriculture, and pesticide laws. He was also a founding member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

De la Garza voted in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965,^[2] the Civil 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 the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Retirement

De la Garza retired from public service in 1997. Upon his return home to Texas, he donated his entire Congressional archive to his alma mater, which had by then been renamed to the University of Texas–Pan American.^[4] Currently,^[when?] the collection is housed at the UTRGV Edinburg Campus library. The archive was unveiled publicly in 2012.^[4]

Death and burial

He resided in McAllen, 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]

See also

• List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress