With the passing of congressional legend Sheila Jackson Lee, there is currently a mad scramble for the seat she held from her initial election in 1994 to her passing on July 19, 2024.
The general public is curious to discover who will hold that seat in the U.S. House of Representatives moving forward. And it’s not simply because the 18th is located in Houston, the nation’s fourth largest city, and in Texas, the state with more Black people than any other in the country.
The 18th and its residents have been blessed with a hero’s roll call of leaders over the years; lawmakers who worked against the grain of the stereotypical, self-obsessed politician who only looked out for themselves. Rather, the two Black women and two Black men who held the title U.S. Representative of the 18th Congressional District of the United States House of Representatives from 1972 to the present, evinced the highest of ideals of an elected official – selfless, dedicated, courageous, and effective in fighting for the rights and resources for Blacks and others.
HISTORY
Texas’s 18th congressional district, which includes much of inner city Houston and the surrounding area, was relocated to the Houston area in 1972.
Before that relocation, the 18th, which came into existence when the 13th congressional district was “re-districted” in 1918, had in its seat elected officials (five white males) from Amarillo, Shamrock and Pampa, Texas (all located in the Texas Panhandle; i.e. the northern-most part of the state).
The new, Houston-based district was first represented by Barbara Jordan, the first Black woman elected to Congress from the South, who was often praised for both her powerful presence and oratorical skills. Jordan was also the first lesbian to serve that district, a fact she neither announced nor hid.
Jordan, a national history-maker, set the standard for those who held that seat after her. And each person who did, became legends in their own right, with the now late Sheila Jackson Lee being the most recent.
Since 1972, the 18th has been a democratic stronghold and a place of mammoth district, state and national political power, influence and importance.
REPRESENTATIVE LEGACY
Barbara Jordan (Jan. 3, 1973 – Jan. 3, 1979)
- Elected in 1972
- Re-elected twice
- Retired
George “Mickey” Leland (Jan. 3, 1979 – Aug. 7, 1989)
- Elected in 1978
- Re-elected five times
- Died in office
Vacant from Aug. 7, 1989 – Dec. 9, 1989
- Due to Leland’s untimely death
Craig Washington (Dec. 9, 1989 – Jan. 3, 1995)
- Initially elected to finish Leland’s term
- Re-elected two more times
- Lost the nomination
Sheila Jackson Lee (Jan 3, 1995 – July 19, 2024)
- Elected in 1994
- Re-elected 14 times
- Died in office
ISSUE LEGACY & HISTORY
Barbara Jordan (Jan. 3, 1973 – Jan. 3, 1979)
Barbara Charline Jordan was born on Feb. 21, 1936 in Houston’s Fifth Ward, As a lawyer, a congresswoman, and a scholar, Jordan used her public speaking skills to fight for civil and human rights. In 1972, Jordan became the first African American woman to be elected to Congress from the South since 1898.
The Phillis Wheatley High School graduate went to Texas Southern University where she honed her public speaking skills as a member of TSU’s famous Debate Team under the leadership of another legend – the late Dr. Thomas Freeman. From there, Jordan went to Boston University to get her law degree.
For some, Jordan became a household figure with her speech given during the Democratic National Convention in 1976. For others, that moment came a few years prior while the world watched during the Impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon. During that moment, Jordan boldly took center stage as the voice of the people, standing for democracy.
But for yet others, Jordan was the same longstanding member of Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church where her father pastored and/or that incredible intellectual who taught at the University of Texas at Austin.
Jordan set the bar high for service coming out of the 18th.
George “Mickey” Leland (Jan. 3, 1979 – Aug. 7, 1989)
George “Mickey” Leland was considered America’s most effective spokesman for hungry people in the United States and throughout the world. During six terms in the Congress, six years as a Texas state legislator and, Democratic National Committee official, he focused much-needed attention on issues of health and hunger and rallied support that resulted in both public and private action.
Leland combined the skills of the charismatic leader with the power of a sophisticated behind-the-scenes congressman. He matured during his years in Congress into a brilliantly effective and influential advocate for food security and health care rights for every human being.
When Mickey Leland died in 1989 during an aid trip to the African nation of Ethiopia, he was Chairman of the House Select Committee on Hunger. His committee studied the problems associated with domestic and international hunger and then delivered the practical solution of food.
But Leland, who like Jordan was a Wheatley and TSU alum, advocated for more than just food security. He was a leading voice of Pan-African and other international issues, calling for an end to apartheid in South Africa and advocating for the rights of Black and Brown people in Haiti, Cuba, the Caribbean and throughout Africa and Central and South America.
Leland was an activist at heart, and fought against becoming a lawmaker. But when he was elected, he brought that grassroots activist spirit with him, which made him and the Congressional Black Caucus such a powerful voice for justice in America and abroad.
Craig Washington (Dec. 9, 1989 – Jan. 3, 1995)
Craig Washington had already completed a legendary career in public service even before being elected to represent the 18th.
In 1972, when the state of Texas began electing members of the state House of Representatives and State Senate, for the first time, by single-member districts, Washington was among the five candidates of color who ran to win seats. They included Anthony Hall, George T. “Mickey” Leland, Benny Reyes, Cecil Bush and Washington. The group was dubbed the “People’s Five.” Washington was elected and represented District 86 in the same year Jordan was first elected to her position leading the 18th.
Washington’s victory placed him at the legislative helm of District 86 in the state House from 1973 to 1982. He then represented District 13 in the state senate from 1983 until 1989.
Washington was elected as a Democrat to the 101st United States Congress for Texas’s 18th congressional district, by special election, Dec. 9, 1989, to fill the vacancy caused by the tragic death of Leland. He was reelected to the 102nd United States Congress and 103rd United States Congress and served from Dec. 9, 1989, to Jan. 3, 1995. During his tenure, Washington continued his bold and unapologetic stances for the people, even when it meant taking unpopular stances that cost him votes.
Undaunted, Washington has continued to be a bold and courageous servant for the people long after his days as an elected official. And the name Craig Washington carries so much weight and impact, that when Texas Governor Greg Abbott called for the arrest of the more than 50 House Democrats in 2021 who fled the state for Washington, D.C., to block the passage of an elections bill they said would restrict voting rights in the state, those courageous lawmakers called upon one of their most courageous alumni to represent them in court – none other that former representative of the historic 18th, Craig Anothy Washington.
Sheila Jackson Lee (Jan 3, 1995 – July 19, 2024)
Much has been written recently about the legendary impact of Jackson Lee. You can read some of those many articles, here, here, here, here and here.
Suffice it to say, Jackson Lee lived up to the pressure and high standard of the 18th, and represented it well until her last day.
