Henry B. Gonzales

Biography

Henry Barbosa González was born on May 3, 1916 in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. His parents, Leonides González Cigarroa and Genoveva Barbosa Prince de González, had fled Durango, Mexico in 1911, seeking protection from the on-going Mexican Revolution. Henry B. Gonzalez attended public schools in San Antonio for all of his compulsory education, graduating from Jefferson High School in 1935. González then attended the University of Texas at Austin and San Antonio College for his undergraduate education. In 1943, he graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law, earning a law degree. Upon graduation, he worked as a probation officer, and was quickly promoted to chief probation officer of Bexar County. González’s extensive training in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French and the onset of World War II removed González from his early career as a probation officer and into the Army and Navy Intelligence services as a translator.

González’s public service career began after the end of World War II, as a member of the San Antonio City Council. While on the city council, González oversaw the creation and implementation of a city ordinance banning discrimination in public recreation facilities. González had served the city of San Antonio for three years when he was elected to the Texas State Senate, where he first gained fame as a crusader for the common man. While serving in the Texas Senate, González contributed to the longest filibuster in the history of Texas. González and another senator spoke alternative for thirty-six hours, successfully beating down eight out of ten bills already passed by the Texas State House of Representatives overturning the Supreme Court Decision concerning Brown V. Board of Education case.

In 1961, Paul Kilday, current Representative of the 20th Congressional District was appointed to the Military Court of Appeals, leaving a vacancy in the U.S. House of Representatives. González ran on the Democratic ticket in the special election for the San Antonio based district and won, making him the first Mexican-American from Texas elected to Congress. Upon entrance into the House, González introduced his first bill to eradicate poll taxes, which later lead to the 24th Amendment outlawing poll taxes in federal elections. This Amendment was later adopted by all the states and eventually lead to the Supreme Court case Harper V. The Virginia State Board of Elections which outlawed poll taxes, even at the local level.

While in Congress, Representative González served as chairman of the Subcommittee on International Development Institutions and Finance, chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Development, chairman of the House Assassinations Committee that was established to investigate the murders of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr, and chairman of the Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs Committee. González successfully ran for re-election seventeen times. He often ran unopposed and faced opposition from the Republican Party only five times. González served the 20th Congressional District from 1961-1999.

As the Representative of the 20th Congressional District, González focused on representing his constituents’ true concerns and needs. This was evident by the signs he hung around his office stating, “This office belongs to the people of the 20th Congressional District, Texas.” González fought for affordable housing, fair minimum wage, equal employment opportunity, reasonable interest rates, and strong education. Under his leadership the Resolution Trust Corporation Act, the National Flood Insurance Reform Act, The Homeownership and Equity Protection Act of 1994 and the Government Securities Reform Act were passed.

González gained international attention while serving as the Subcommittee Chairman of the International Development Institutions and Finance. As Chairman, he fought for U.S. involvement in the Inter-American Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank and the African Development Fund. Later the Gonzalez Amendment was passed protecting US citizen’s financial interests overseas.

Despite González’s lack of personal experience in poverty, he was exposed to the needs of the impoverished during the depression and while working as a probation officer, and accordingly González sponsored and supported many anti-poverty bills. In the 1960’s he fought to end the bracero program, which had allowed immigrant laborers to harvest crops. The program was criticized for its harsh labor conditions and poor treatment of the workers. In addition, he played a key role in rescuing the Patman-Robison Act, which protected the rights of small business owners. He also worked to pass legislation to help families threatened by home foreclosure. All through out his career, González battled public housing cuts, eventually pushing for support of the Housing Act of 1964. Later he often spoke out against the Regan administration for purposed budget cuts to social programs.

González’s career as Representative of the 20th Congressional District, earned him the reputation as a “crusader of the common people” despite color, race or ethnicity. He pushed legislation closely tied to the New Frontier and Great Society. He helped to create legislation concerning the Equal Opportunities Act of 1964. He also voted in favor of the Library Service Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. González spent much of his career fighting for equality for all people.

In 1998, González announced his retirement from Congress, stating ill-health as the reason. González served the people of San Antonio for 37 years. His son, Charlie González ran for his father’s seat and was elected to the 106th Congress. On November 28, 2000 González died of a heart-attack in his home city of San Antonio. Many of his constituents mourned the loss of their “Maverick”, “Don Quixote” and “Fighter for the Poor.” González’s life and work have endeared him to the people of San Antonio who remember him as “Our Beloved Henry B.”