Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) has died at age 74 after a battle with cancer, her family announced Friday.
“Today, we announce the passing of U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee for Texas’ 18th Congressional District, with deep sadness over her loss but with deep gratitude for the life she shared with us,” her family said in a statement.
“A local, national and international humanitarian, she was recognized worldwide for her courageous fight for racial justice, criminal justice and human rights, with a special focus on women and children,” the statement said.
Jackson Lee announced in June that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment.
The longtime congresswoman has served in the House since 1995 and is credited with pushing through civil rights legislation.
Jackson Lee was the lead sponsor of the Juneteenth Independence Day Act and drove passage of the Sentencing Reform Act of 2015 and the George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act.
“This is an American holiday, and American holidays aren’t just about Black people,” Jackson Lee said of Juneteenth during an MSNBC interview in 2023. “It’s about freedom and democracy.”
The Texas Democrat introduced the bill, which seeks to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022.
Jackson Lee was born in Queens, New York. He graduated from Yale University and the University of Virginia Law School and worked in private practice and as counsel to the House Select Committee on Assassinations.
She later served in city government as a Houston City Council member and city judge, before being elected to Congress, where she served on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Budget committees.
“She will be missed, but her work will continue to be an inspiration to all who believe in freedom, justice, and democracy,” the family’s statement concluded. “May God bless you, Congressman, and may God bless the United States of America.”
Rep. Jackson Lee’s family said funeral arrangements for the congressman are pending.
She is survived by her husband, two children and two grandchildren.
