Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas dies at 74

(AUSTIN, Texas.) — Sheila Jackson Lee, the longtime U.S. representative from Texas, has died, according to a statement issued Friday night from her family.

The congresswoman died at the age of 74 after a brief battle with cancer.

“With incredible grief for our loss yet 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,” her family said in a statement.

“A local, national, and international humanitarian, she was acknowledged worldwide for her courageous fights for racial justice, criminal justice, and human rights, with a special emphasis on women and children,” the statement continued.

Rep. Jackson Lee announced in June she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“She will be dearly missed, but her legacy will continue to inspire all who believe in freedom, justice and democracy,” her family said.

The democratic Chief Deputy Whip and member of the Congressional Black Caucus served in Congress for almost 30 years. Most recently, Jackson Lee reintroduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in May.

Jackson Lee, who represented Texas’ 18th District, which encompasses parts of Houston, won a primary election this year to regain her seat.

Born in Queens, New York, the congresswoman attended Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law. She relocated with her husband Elwyn Lee, a law professor, to Houston where she served as a municipal judge from 1987 to 1990. She served in the Houston City Council before running for a U.S. House seat in 1994, defeating then-incumbent Rep. Craig Washington in the Democratic primary.

The congresswoman was a senior member of the House committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Budget.

She authored and was the lead sponsor of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. The law introduced the first new federal holiday — commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States — since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983.

She also authored legislation to reenact the Violence Against Women Act, which had expired in 2019.

Jackson Lee unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Houston in 2023.

“It is with the deepest sadness that the Congressional Black Caucus has learned of the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee,” the Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement. “We are holding her husband, Dr. Elwyn Lee, her two children Jason and Erica, and the entire Lee family in our hearts and prayers during this extremely difficult time.”

“Today, the city of Houston and the House Democratic Caucus mourn a giant, the one and only Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee,” Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement. “Congresswoman Jackson Lee was an inimitable force for change and a warrior for justice over the course of her historic, trailblazing career.”

President Joe Biden said the congresswoman was a “great American” who was “unrelenting in her leadership.”

“Always fearless, she spoke truth to power and represented the power of the people of her district in Houston with dignity and grace,” Biden said in a statement Saturday.

She is survived by her husband, two children and several grandchildren.