Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas dies at 74

Sheila Jackson Lee, the longtime U.S. consultant from Texas, has died, based on a press release issued Friday night time from her household.

The congresswoman died on the age of 74 after a short battle with most cancers.

“With unimaginable grief for our loss but deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of United States Consultant Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th Congressional District of Texas,” her household stated in a press release.

“An area, nationwide, and worldwide humanitarian, she was acknowledged worldwide for her brave fights for racial justice, legal justice, and human rights, with a particular emphasis on ladies and youngsters,” the assertion continued.

Rep. Jackson Lee introduced in June she had been recognized with pancreatic most cancers.

“She can be dearly missed, however her legacy will proceed to encourage all who consider in freedom, justice and democracy,” her household stated.

The democratic Chief Deputy Whip and member of the Congressional Black Caucus served in Congress for nearly 30 years. Most lately, Jackson Lee reintroduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in Could.

Jackson Lee, who represented Texas’ 18th District, which encompasses components of Houston, received a major election this 12 months to regain her seat.

Born in Queens, New York, the congresswoman attended Yale College and the College of Virginia College of Legislation. She relocated together with her husband Elwyn Lee, a regulation professor, to Houston the place she served as a municipal decide from 1987 to 1990. She served within the Houston Metropolis Council earlier than operating for a U.S. Home seat in 1994, defeating then-incumbent Rep. Craig Washington within the Democratic major.

The congresswoman was a senior member of the Home committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Safety and Finances.

She authored and was the lead sponsor of the Juneteenth Nationwide Independence Day Act, signed into regulation by President Joe Biden in 2021. The regulation launched the primary new federal vacation — commemorating the ending of slavery in the US — since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983.

She additionally authored laws to reenact the Violence Towards Girls Act, which had expired in 2019.

Jackson Lee unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Houston in 2023.

“It’s with the deepest unhappiness that the Congressional Black Caucus has realized of the passing of our pricey good friend and colleague, Consultant Sheila Jackson Lee,” the Congressional Black Caucus stated in a press release. “We’re holding her husband, Dr. Elwyn Lee, her two youngsters Jason and Erica, and the complete Lee household in our hearts and prayers throughout this extraordinarily troublesome time.”

“Right this moment, town of Houston and the Home Democratic Caucus mourn an enormous, the one and solely Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee,” Democratic Home Chief Hakeem Jeffries stated in a press release. “Congresswoman Jackson Lee was an inimitable pressure for change and a warrior for justice over the course of her historic, trailblazing profession.”

President Joe Biden stated the congresswoman was a “nice American” who was “unrelenting in her management.”

“All the time fearless, she spoke fact to energy and represented the facility of the individuals of her district in Houston with dignity and charm,” Biden stated in a press release Saturday.

She is survived by her husband, two youngsters and a number of other grandchildren.