Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee died in Houston late Friday at the age of 74. Jackson Lee, who was running for a 16th term, announced in June that she'd been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She had a reputation as a firebrand and a prominent voice on civil rights and progressive issues.

Sheila Jackson Lee was a force in American politics. Born in Queens, New York, she was appointed a municipal court judge in Houston in 1987. She won a place on Houston's City Council two years later.

Then in 1994, she defeated incumbent Congressman Craig Washington in the primary for a solidly Democratic seat – Texas's 18th Congressional District. She won the general election that November. She was only the fourth member to represent the district since it was redrawn to represent Houston, following Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, and Washington. She wound up holding it for nearly 30 years, longer than all three of her immediate predecessors combined.

"I am proud to say that I knew her as a person whose life should be celebrated," said Houston Congressman Al Green, who worked alongside Jackson Lee for nearly two decades. "I think that she should be remembered as they advocate for her community, a spokesperson for those who were seeking justice, and as a friend of those who sometimes found themselves friendless."

Jackson Lee was a champion of the residents of Houston's predominantly Black Third Ward, including the students and faculty of Texas Southern University. Michael Adams followed her career for years as a political science professor at TSU.

"Texas, I think, has lost a great defender of the Constitution, and of civil rights and civil liberties," Adams said. "Sheila Jackson Lee, will leave an indelible stamp on the legacy of American politics in general."

Congressional legacy

Jackson Lee spent many of her years in Congress as a member of the minority party, which Adams said affected her ability to get legislation passed. But as Congressman Al Green observed, that never stopped her from fighting for what she believed was right.

"In Congress, on major legislation, she was a sponsor or co-sponsor. Examples would be the George Floyd Justice and Policing legislation promoted after George Floyd’s demise. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act, she supported and pushed that," Green said. Neither bill became law in her lifetime.

Yet Jackson Lee counted plenty of triumphs. She was instrumental in establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. And she was a key figure in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

"It was her passion," said Houston-area Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. "It was something that she was so committed to, and really drove home, how important it was for us to get that done in Congress and was really a driving force behind that."

Fletcher said Jackson Lee first spoke with her about getting involved in the Violence Against Women Act when Fletcher was first running for Congress in 2017.

"She worked tirelessly to protect people across our communities, including and especially women and girls," Fletcher said. "Her work on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act was critically important and part of a whole series of work that she did to advance the cause of equality and justice and to make sure people were safe."

That commitment to keeping people safe included years on the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees. It also meant working tirelessly when Houston faced natural disasters, from Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 to Hurricane Beryl two weeks ago.

"She would say, ‘We need to be doing this right now. You know, we need to be asking for a disaster supplemental. We need to be moving this forward here.' She had that experience, and so she knew the questions to ask," Fletcher said.

And Jackson Lee made sure she was present in her district when she felt residents needed her there for support. "When the FEMA trucks would roll up," TSU's Michael Adams said, "Sheila Jackson Lee would be right out there in the mix in terms of trying to help her constituents."

The final campaigns

In March 2023, Jackson Lee announced her intention to run for Mayor of Houston, saying she wanted to come home.

Jackson Lee's entry immediately scrambled the race. Previously, two younger Black candidates – former Harris County Clerk Chris Hollins and former Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards – had emerged as the main rivals of then-State Senator John Whitmire to succeed outgoing Mayor Sylvester Turner. Hollins and Edwards both soon dropped out in Jackson Lee's favor. Each pivoted to run for other offices, Hollins for Houston City Controller, which he would ultimately win, and Edwards for the Democratic nomination for Jackson Lee's congressional seat.

But Jackson Lee, who had frequently won uncontested races over her career, ran what many considered a lackluster campaign. She also drew negative attention late in the contest when a recording of her berating staffers leaked to the public. She placed second in a crowded first-round vote before ultimately losing to Whitmire in a runoff.

Jackson Lee quickly registered to run for the Democratic primary to keep her seat in Congress. By this point, Edwards, a former intern in Jackson Lee's congressional office, had been running for the nomination for months and had amassed a significant campaign war chest. The resulting primary fight was the toughest Jackson Lee had faced in decades. But in March, she won renomination handily.

Three months later, she announced her cancer diagnosis to the world. At the time of her death, she was one of the two longest-serving members of the Texas congressional delegation, tied with Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett. She's survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Dr. Elwyn Lee, an administrator at the University of Houston, and her children, Erica and Jason.

View this article on Houston Public Media.