Hinojosa, Juan Chuy, 1946-

Born in McAllen, Texas in 1946 and raised in Mission, Texas, Juan Hinojosa, nicknamed Chuy, worked with his family as migrant farmers during harvest seasons. He attended Pan American University briefly before he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving in Vietnam, and returned to Pan American University to complete his Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science. In 1974, he received his Juris Doctorate Degree from Georgetown University and worked for Texas Rural Legal Aid (now under Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid) as an attorney and later as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas. In 1980, he began his private law practice in McAllen and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives, stepping down from public office in 1991 when he was appointed to the Higher Education Coordinating Board by Governor Ann Richards. He was again elected to the Texas House in 1996, and served until his election to the Texas Senate in 2002, an office he still held in 2009.

From the description of Oral history interview with Juan Chuy Hinojosa 2003 [videorecording]. (University of Texas at Arlington). WorldCat record id: 415157601