De la Garza, E. (Eligio), 1927-2017

Eligio "Kika" de la Garza II (September 22, 1927 – March 13, 2017) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. Representative for the 15th congressional district of Texas from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1997.

Born in Mercedes, Texas and raised in Mission, Texas, he graduated from Mission High School before serving in the U.S. Navy from 1945 to 1946. He continued his education at Edinburg Junior College and the U.S. Army Field Artillery School in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. From 1950 to 1952, de la Garza served in the U.S. Army, fighting in the Korean War as a second lieutenant with the 37th Division Artillery. He earned a law degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio after he was discharged from the army. De la Garza began his political career after he returned from his army service in Korea, winning election to the Texas house of representatives in 1951, serving in that body from 1952 to 1964 while working as a lawyer in the Rio Grande Valley.

In 1964, de la Garza, a strong supporter of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, ran for United States House of Representatives and won a seat representing South Texas. From 1981 to 1994, he was the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, leading the way in passing bills that reorganized the agricultural lending system, the farm insurance system, the United States Department of Agriculture, and pesticide laws. De la Garza voted in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Act of 1968, and called for smoother relations between the U.S. and Mexico. He worked to improve trade between the two nations and was critical in passing the legislation that enacted the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

De la Garza retired from public service in 1997. He resided in McAllen, Texas until his death from kidney failure. He is buried at the Valley Memorial Gardens in McAllen, Texas.