Kika de la Garza

Eligio " Kika " de la Garza ( born September 22, 1927 in Mercedes, Hidalgo County, Texas ) is a former American politician. Between 1965 and 1997 he represented the state of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Career

Kika de la Garza attended the Mission High School in Edinburg and the Texas Junior College. Between 1945 and 1946 he served at the end of World War II in the U.S. Navy. Between 1950 and 1952 he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, among others, in Korea. After a subsequent law degree from St. Mary's University in San Antonio and his 1952 was admitted to the bar he began to work in mission in this profession. At the same time he proposed as a member of the Democratic Party launched a political career. Between 1952 and 1964 he sat as an MP in the House of Representatives from Texas.

In the congressional elections of 1964, de la Garza was in the 15th electoral district of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington DC chosen, where he became the successor of Joe M. Kilgore on January 3, 1965. After 15 re- election he was able to complete in Congress until January 3, 1997 a total of 16 legislative periods. In this time were, among others, the Vietnam War, the end of the civil rights movement and the Watergate scandal. 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 and environmental protection.

In 1996, Kika de la Garza gave up another candidacy. After the end of his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, he retired from politics. Today he lives with his wife in McAllen.

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