Houston Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Dies at 74

SAN ANTONIO – A Texas pillar in the U.S. House of Representatives has died.

The office of Houston Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, an elected official for 35 years, announced her death Friday night. She was 74.

“Today, it is with incredible sadness for our loss, but also deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, that we announce the passing of U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas’s 18th Congressional District,” Jackson Lee’s office shared on her Twitter account.

Jackson Lee’s political career began in 1989 when she was elected to the Houston City Council. Five years later, Jackson Lee was elected to the 18th Congressional District of Texas, a position she held for nearly three decades.

Jackson Lee’s office counted her political victories among her victories, including declaring Juneteenth a national holiday and reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

The district is located in Greater Houston and includes voters near George Bush Intercontinental Airport on the city’s north side, downtown Houston, Third Ward and East Houston.

In March 2023, Jackson Lee announced her candidacy for mayor of Houston. Nine months later, in December 2023, she lost to then-Senator John Whitmire in a runoff election.

Last month, Jackson Lee said she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but was receiving treatment for it.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.