Ben Reyes
| Ben Reyes | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Houston City Council from the I District | |
|
In office January 1980 – January 2, 1996 |
|
| Preceded by | District Created |
| Succeeded by | John Castillo |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 89 | |
|
In office 1973–1979 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | February 16, 1947 Burton, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Houston, Texas |
| Alma mater | University of Houston |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Years of service | 1966-1969 |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Ben Torres Reyes (born February 16, 1947), an American, is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives and a former Houston City Council member.
Ben T. Reyes, a Mexican American, was born February 16, 1947 in Burton, Texas. A resident of the Denver Harbor area of Houston, Reyes, whose father was a laborer, was a member of a family of ten people. He served in the Marine Corps from 1966 through 1969 for a three-year span, and he served one tour of duty in the Vietnam War. He later became an activist and a politician.
The La Raza Unida asked Reyes to run for political office while as a member of that political party. Reyes instead ran for office as a Democrat. In 1972 Reyes was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. Representing District 89 as a member of the Democratic Party of the United States, he won re-election three times. In 1976 he received over 96% of the vote. While in the house he served as the vice chairman of the Liquor Regulation Committee and as the chairperson of the Rules committee. Reyes served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979. In 1977 he attended both Texas Southern University and the University of Houston.
In 1979 he was elected to the Houston City Council. He served in District I for 16 years; he left due to term limits. As a city council member he arranged the demolitions of various houses that housed criminal activities. His final year of service was 1995. In 1999 Tim Fleck of the Houston Press said that he "virtually created Hispanic politics in Houston and held his own on City Council as perhaps the best wheeler-dealer for nearly two decades."
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