Castro, Joaquin, 1974-

Joaquin Castro (born September 16, 1974) is an American lawyer, professor, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has represented Texas's 20th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2013.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, he attended Thomas Jefferson High School there before earning a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. After law school, he and his twin brother, Julián, worked for the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld before starting their own firm in 2005. Castro also worked as a visiting professor of law at St. Mary's University and an adjunct professor at Trinity University in San Antonio. In 2002, he was elected to the first of five terms as a Texas state representative representing the 125th District. In June 2011, Castro announced his candidacy for the newly drawn Texas's 35th congressional district's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives but after Charlie Gonzalez of the neighboring 20th district announced his retirement after seven terms, Castro announced that he would run instead for the 20th district seat. Unopposed in the Democratic primary, Castro received nearly two-thirds of the vote in the general election. He has been re-elected four times.

Now in his fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Joaquin serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee. He was the 2013 Co-President for the House freshman Democrats and currently serves as Chair of the Texas Democratic Caucus. Having experienced America’s promise firsthand, Castro wants to help build out what he calls the Infrastructure of Opportunity so that future generations will have the same chance to pursue their American Dream. He believes that just as there is an infrastructure of transportation that helps us get to where we want to go on the road there is an Infrastructure of Opportunity that helps Americans get to where they want to go in life. It is that Infrastructure of Opportunity – great public schools and universities, a sound healthcare system, and good-paying jobs – that enables Americans to pursue their American Dream. Our centuries-long commitment to building and preserving this infrastructure is what distinguishes America among the nations of the world.