Kika de la Garza
| Kika de la Garza | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 15th district |
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In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Joe M. Kilgore |
| Succeeded by | Rubén Hinojosa |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 38th district | |
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In office 1953–1965 |
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| Preceded by | new district |
| Succeeded by | A. C. “Bud” Atwood |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 22, 1927 Mercedes, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
Eligio “Kika” de la Garza, II (born September 22, 1927 in Mercedes, Texas) was the Democratic representative for the 15th congressional district of Texas from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1997.
De la Garza grew up in Mission in Hidalgo County. At the age of seventeen, he entered the United States Navy and served for two years. De la Garza chose to continue his education at Edinburg Junior College and the United States Army Artillery School at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. For two years beginning in 1952, he was a lieutenant in the Army while deployed in the Korean War. After returning home, he completed his law degree at St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio. After having practiced law for several years in the Rio Grande Valley, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives.
While in the state House, de la Garza was famous for sponsoring much legislation in the fields of education and the environment. He authored bills to protect wetlands, create state-sponsored preschools, and more international bridges to Mexico. From 1955 to 1957, he was the only Hispanic member of the Texas House. He was joined in 1957 by a second Mexican American member, Oscar M. Laurel of Laredo, the seat of Webb County.
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