Houston-area Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee dies at 74

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

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

“Today, with incredible sorrow for our loss but 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,” Jackson Lee’s office shared on Twitter.

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 represent Texas’ 18th District, a position she held for nearly three decades.

Lee’s office counted among its political victories the making of Juneteenth a national holiday and the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

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

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

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

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.