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Who was Sheila Jackson Lee? Exploring life and career of Texas' Congresswoman as she passes away at 74
Sheila Jackson Lee, an American lawyer and politician, who has represented Texas's 18th congressional district in Congress since 1995 has passed away at 74.
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Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), a member of Congress for almost thirty years, passed away at 74
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Exploring Sheila Jackson Lee's life and career
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains references to an individual's death.
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a member of Congress for almost thirty years, passed away at 74. Her family announced her passing in a statement writing, "Today, with incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th Congressional District of Texas."
Sheila Jackson announced her pancreatic cancer diagnosis last year
In June of last year, Jackson Lee revealed her pancreatic cancer diagnosis. She declared at the time that she had faith that God would strengthen her and that the road ahead would not be easy.
Who was Sheila Jackson?
Early life
Sheila Jackson was born on January 12, 1950, in Queens, New York. Lee earned degrees from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1975 and Yale University in 1972. She relocated to Houston in 1987, and Kathy Whitmire nominated her to serve as a municipal judge for the city. Jackson Lee was chosen to serve on the Houston City Council in 1989.
Career
Jackson Lee was a vocal supporter of Black Americans and progressive causes while serving in Congress. She actively supported federal legislation to prosecute police wrongdoing, spoke out against police brutality regularly, and was one of the supporters of the legislation that made Juneteenth a national holiday.
In March of that same year, Jackson Lee declared her candidacy for mayor of Houston in 2023. She came in second to state senator John Whitmire in the first round. Jackson Lee persisted in advocating for racial justice even though she was unable to achieve some of her most audacious goals, especially after George Floyd was killed by police in 2020.
Jackson Lee resigned from her positions as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and as a member of the House Judiciary subcommittee in 2019 in response to a lawsuit in which a former employee claimed she was let go because she intended to take legal action against her supervisor for alleged rape.
Lee submitted her candidacy for reelection to her congressional seat on December 11 and won the Democratic primary on March 5, 2024. Lee is now survived by her husband and their two children, Jason and Erica.
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