Everything about Henry B Gonzalez totally explained
Henry Barbosa Gonzalez (
May 3,
1916 –
November 28,
2000) was a
Democratic politician from the
state of
Texas. He represented
Texas's 20th congressional district from
1961 to
1999.
Gonzalez was born in
San Antonio, Texas, to parents who had immigrated during the
Mexican Revolution. He attended the
University of Texas at Austin and
San Antonio College, earning his undergraduate degree. Later, he received a
Juris Doctor from
St. Mary's University School of Law. Upon graduation, he became a probation officer, and was quickly promoted to the chief office of
Bexar County, Texas.
Gonzalez served on the
San Antonio city council from
1953 to
1956. He was then a member of the Texas state senate from 1956 to
1961. Gonzalez set the Texas Senate record by filibustering a set of bills on
segregation for 22 straight hours. Most of the bills were abandoned (eight out of ten). He ran for
governor in
1958, finishing second in the Democratic
primary (the real contest for governor in a solidly Democratic state) to Senator
Price Daniel. In January
1961, Gonzalez ran in the special election for
Lyndon Johnson's
Senate seat, finishing sixth. However, in September, 20th District Congressman
Paul J. Kilday was appointed to the
Court of Military Appeals. Gonzalez ran in the special election for the San Antonio-based district in November and won. He was unopposed for a full term the next year, and was reelected seventeen times. He never faced truly serious or well-funded opposition, running unopposed in 1970, from
1974 to
1978,
1982 and
1984. In fact, the 20th was (and still is) so heavily Democratic that Gonzalez faced
Republican opposition only five times, winning easily each time.
Gonzalez became known for his liberal views. In 1963, Congressman
Ed Foreman called Gonzalez a "
communist" and a "
pinko" and Gonzalez confronted him. Gonzalez was referred to as a "communist" in 1986 by a man at
Earl Abel's restaurant that was a popular San Antonio eatery. The representative responded by punching him in the face. Gonzalez was acquitted of assault for this incident.
Gonzalez chaired the committee that investigated the deaths of
John F. Kennedy and
Martin Luther King, Jr. He introduced legislation calling for the
impeachment of
Ronald Reagan and
George H. W. Bush. Gonzalez also blocked hearings into
Whitewater until finally agreeing to hold hearings in
1994. In
1997, Gonzalez fell ill and he 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 had long groomed his son,
Charlie, to succeed him. Charlie Gonzalez won easily in
1998 and still holds the seat; between them, father and son have served 46 consecutive years in Congress (as of November, 2007).
On
October 24,
2006, it was announced that Congressman Gonzalez's personal notes, correspondence and mementos would become part of the Congressional History Collection at the
University of Texas at Austin's
Center for American History.
Gonzalez's granddaughter,
Rebecca Ramos, is a model and was named
Playmate of the Month in January 2003 by
Playboy Magazine.
Further Information
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