Henry B. Gonzalez

Infobox_Congressman
name = Henry B. González


date of birth = May 3, 1916
place of birth = San Antonio, Texas
date of death = death date and age|2000|11|28|1916|5|3
place of death = San Antonio, Texas
state = Texas
district = 20th
term_start = January 3, 1961
term_end = January 3, 1999
preceded = Paul J. Kilday
succeeded = Charlie Gonzalez
party = Democrat
spouse =
children =
religion = Roman Catholic

Henry Barbosa González (May 3, 1916 – November 28, 2000) was a Democratic politician from the state of Texas. He represented Texas's 20th congressional district from 1961 to 1999.

González was born in San Antonio, Texas, to parents who had immigrated during the Mexican Revolution. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and San Antonio College, earning his undergraduate degree. Later, he received a Juris Doctor from St. Mary's University School of Law. Upon graduation, he became a probation officer, and was quickly promoted to the chief office of Bexar County, Texas.

González served on the San Antonio city council from 1953 to 1956. He was then a member of the Texas state senate from 1956 to 1961. González set the Texas Senate record by filibustering a set of bills on segregation for 22 straight hours. Most of the bills were abandoned (eight out of ten). He ran for governor in 1958, finishing second in the Democratic primary (the real contest for governor in a solidly Democratic state) to Senator Price Daniel. In January 1961, González ran in the special election for Lyndon Johnson's Senate seat, finishing sixth. However, in September, 20th District Congressman Paul J. Kilday was appointed to the Court of Military Appeals. González ran in the special election for the San Antonio-based district in November and won. He was unopposed for a full term the next year, and was reelected seventeen times. He never faced truly serious or well-funded opposition, running unopposed in 1970, from 1974 to 1978, 1982 and 1984. In fact, the 20th was (and still is) so heavily Democratic that González faced Republican opposition only five times, winning easily each time.

González became known for his liberal views. In 1963, Congressman Ed Foreman called González a "communist" and a "pinko" and González confronted him. González was referred to as a "communist" in 1986 by a man at Earl Abel's restaurant that was a popular San Antonio eatery. The 70 year-old representative responded by punching him in the face. González was acquitted of assault for this incident.

González chaired the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations that investigated the deaths of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. He introduced legislation calling for the impeachment of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. González also blocked hearings into Whitewater until finally agreeing to hold hearings in 1994. In 1997, González fell ill and he was unable to return to the House for over a year. Finally, he decided not to run for a 19th full term in 1998. He had long groomed his son, Charlie, to succeed him. Charlie González won easily in 1998 and still holds the seat; between them, father and son have served 46 consecutive years in Congress (as of November, 2007). He was also an outspoken critic of the Federal Reserve System.

On October 24, 2006, it was announced that Congressman González's personal notes, correspondence and mementos would become part of the Congressional History Collection at the University of Texas at Austin's Center for American History.

González's granddaughter, Rebecca Ramos, is a model and was named Playmate of the Month in January 2003 by Playboy Magazine.

External links

* [http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA102406.01A.gonzalez.2e85fa2.html/ Story on Congressman Gonzalez's collection at UT Austin]
* [http://www.cah.utexas.edu/feature/0611/index.php Henry B. Gonzalez Feature] at the Center for American History, includes biography, video, gallery, timeline, and lesson plans.
* [http://www.creators.com/opinion/molly-ivins/molly-ivins-november-30-2000-11-30.html Column by Molly Ivins shortly after Rep. Gonzalez' death ]

Facilities named in memory of Congressman Gonzalez include the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, and Henry B. Gonzalez elementary schools in Eagle Pass ISD http://www.eaglepassisd.net, LaJoya ISD http://www.lajoyaisd.com/, and Dallas ISD http://www.dallasisd.org/.