Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaks during a meeting of the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., December 13, 2019
Patrick Semansky/AP Pool
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Longtime U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who helped lead federal efforts to protect women from domestic violence and recognized Juneteenth as a national holiday, has died. She is 74 years old.
Jackson Lee, who had pancreatic cancer, died Friday night in Houston with her family by her side, her chief of staff Lillie Conley confirmed.
The Democrat has represented her Houston district and the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1995.
“The road ahead will not be easy, but I believe God will strengthen me,” Lee said in a statement at the time.
Bishop James Dixon, a longtime friend of Houston who visited Jackson Lee earlier this week, said he will remember her as a warrior.
“She was a very, very rare gem who persevered and gave everything she had to make sure other people got what they needed. That was Sheila,” he said.
Jackson Lee had just been elected to Congress in Houston, and Barbara Jordan, the first black woman elected to Congress from a Southern state since Reconstruction, was immediately appointed in 1995 Member of the high-profile House Judiciary Committee.
“They just saw me through my profile and Barbara Jordan’s work,” Lee told the Houston Chronicle in 2022. People who need it.
Jackson Lee quickly established herself as a fierce advocate for women and minorities and a leader among House Democrats on many social justice issues, from policing reform to reparations for descendants of the enslaved. She led the first rewrite of the Violence Against Women Act in nearly a decade to include protections for Native American, transgender and immigrant women.
Jackson Lee is also one of the leading lawmakers pushing for Juneteenth to be recognized in 2021 as the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Day was established in 1986. The days of an enslaved African American.
Jackson Lee was born in Queens, New York, graduated from Yale University and received a law degree from the University of Virginia. She served as a judge in Houston before being elected to the Houston City Council in 1989 and later ran for Congress in 1994.
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, speaks at the Capitol in Washington, June 2, 2022, supporting Democratic gun control measures, the Protect Our Children Act, in response to Mass shootings in Texas and New York.
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Top congressional Democrats reacted quickly to the news Friday night, praising her commitment and work ethic.
South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn called her “a tenacious civil rights advocate and a tireless fighter dedicated to improving the lives of her constituents.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said he has never seen a more diligent legislator than Jackson Lee, calling her “accurately researching every bill and every amendment, and then told Texas and the United States exactly where she stood.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said Jackson Lee showed “relentless determination” in declaring Juneteenth a national holiday.
“As a powerful voice in Congress defending our Constitution and human rights, she has fought tirelessly to promote fairness, equity and justice for all,” Pelosi said.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said he and his wife, Cecilia, will always remember Jackson Lee, calling her a “tireless advocate for the people of Houston.”
“Her legacy of public service and dedication to the state of Texas will continue,” he said.
Jackson Lee was easily re-elected to Congress. The several times she faced challengers, she never received less than two-thirds of the vote. Jackson Lee considered leaving Congress in 2023 to run for Houston’s first black female mayor, but lost in the runoff. She then easily won the Democratic nomination for the 2024 election.
During the mayoral campaign, Jackson Lee expressed regret after the release of an unverified recording purportedly of a councilor berating staff, saying “everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.”
In 2019, Jackson Lee resigned from two leadership positions on the House Judiciary Committee and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which raises money for the Congressional Black Caucus, after a former staffer filed a lawsuit saying her sexual assault complaint was mishandled.
Jackson Lee was a beloved wife, sister, mother and grandmother known as Bebe, her family said in a statement.
“She will be deeply missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire all who believe in freedom, justice, and democracy. God bless you, Congresswoman, and God bless the United States of America,” the statement read.
