 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Content provided by the American Bar Association Division for Public Education. Visit the Division for Public Education's website to learn more about the law and its role in society (www.abanet.org/publiced). For more profiles of pioneers in the legal profession, visit the Division for Public Education's Raising the Bar: Pioneers in the Legal Profession website at www.abanet.org/publiced/raisingthebar.html.
Henry Barbosa Gonzalez
1916-2000
1916-2000
|
"Maverick", "Don Quijote", and "Fighter for the Poor" were some of the epithets given to Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez during his outstanding career, which spanned almost 40 years in Congress. Most of his constituents, though, just knew him as their beloved Henry B. When his death was announced in the newspaper of his native city, it was enough to headline the story, "Henry B. Dies." Unlike many of his neighbors in the San Antonio community where he was born on May 3, 1916, Henry B. Gonzalez enjoyed many of the privileges of middle class life, including the benefits of an excellent education. His parents had maintained successful silver mining ventures in Mexico, and his father, Leonides, had been mayor of Mapimi in Durango. However, his father narrowly escaped death twice because of his political activities, and was forced to leave the country, settling in San Antonio in 1911. In the United States, Leonides Gonzalez worked for 40 years for "La Prensa," the preeminent Spanish-language daily, eventually rising to managing editor. Though Henry B. Gonzalez was not raised in poverty, he suffered from much of the same bigotry as poorer, less educated Mexican Americans-experiences that fueled him throughout his career as a loyal defender of the common man from all ethnic and racial backgrounds. During the hard times of the Depression, he worked 75 hours a week for $11.50, and had ample opportunity to see racial discrimination in action. He was barred from several places reserved "for whites only," and once was asked to leave a San Antonio swimming pool. Many years later, while serving on the San Antonio City Council, he sponsored a successful ordinance to end discrimination in the city's recreational facilities. Though the Depression interfered with his educational plans, he attended the University of Texas and received a degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1943. After graduating from law school, he began his career working as a juvenile probation officer and later became chief probation officer in the county. His career was interrupted by military service in World War II. Fluent in Portuguese and French, as well as English and Spanish, his service included work in both Army and Navy Intelligence. After the war, Mr. Gonzalez founded the Pan American Progressive Association (PAPA), whose membership consisted of socially aware business leaders. One of the organization's major triumphs was to have a role in the elimination of restrictive covenants. In such cases, sub-division master deeds often specified that if a particular piece of property, through any means, ended up in the possession of "a Negro or Mexican," the title would revert to the original grantor. To challenge the legality of restrictive covenants, PAPA filed an amicus curiae brief in a case against restrictive covenants in St. Louis brought by African-Americans before the United States Supreme Court. In the case of Shelly v. Kramer, the Court ruled in 1948 that restrictive covenants based on race, color or creed, were unconstitutional. Mr. Gonzalez began his service in elected office by winning a seat on the San Antonio City Council in 1953. After serving for three years, in 1956 he became he became the first citizen of Mexican descent in the Texas Senate in 110 years. In 1957, he attracted international attention by participating in the longest filibuster in the history of Texas. He and a colleague, holding the floor alternately, spoke for more than thirty-six hours against ten segregationist "race" bills previously passed by the Texas House of Representative. Eight of the bills were ultimately defeated, and another later declared unconstitutional. In 1961, with the support of Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy, Henry B. Gonzalez won a special election to fill an unexpired term in the U. S. House of Representatives, making him the first American of Mexican descent elected to Congress from Texas. Before retiring because of health concerns, he served for 37 years. The first piece of legislation he ever introduced, which he introduced as soon as he had lowered his hand from being sworn in as a member of Congress, was a resolution calling for the abolition of the poll tax, which still existed in five states, including Texas. This action ultimately led to the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which outlaws poll taxes in federal elections. The amendment was proposed by Congress in 1962 and ratified by a sufficient number of states in 1964. Two years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Harper v. The Virginia State Board of Elections that the poll tax violated equal protection in any election, abolishing it in state and local elections as well. Throughout his career in Congress, Henry B. Gonzalez focused on the concerns of his constituents: affordable housing, truth in lending, protection for small business, reasonable interest rates, strong education, an adequate minimum wage, and equal opportunity, regardless of race, color, creed, or gender. Under his leadership, many significant laws were enacted, including the Resolution Trust Corporation Act, the National Flood Insurance Reform Act, the Homeownership & Equity Protection Act of 1994 and the Government Securities Reform Act. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Development Institutions and Finance, he worked to authorize U.S. participation in the Inter-American Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank and the African Development Fund. The Gonzalez Amendment, passed in 1973, protected U. S. citizens' properties overseas and encouraged mediation and arbitration between parties. Congressman Henry B's commitment to the people he faithfully represented was evident in the signs he posted on his office doors in Washington and in San Antonio. They read: "This Office Belongs to the People of the 20th Congressional District, Texas." Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez died on November 28, 2000 in his beloved San Antonio. Today, those who knew him and his courageous work speak fondly of his honesty and service. Parents still encourage their children's good behavior in school or in church, "because Congressman Henry B is watching you," and his legacy lives on in the lives of many. (Originally published in 2001) |
