El Franco Lee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
El Franco Lee
|
|
|---|---|
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 142nd district 88th district (1979–1983) |
|
| In office January 9, 1979 – January 8, 1985 |
|
| Preceded by | Mickey Leland |
| Succeeded by | Harold Dutton Jr. |
| Harris County Commissioner from Precinct 1 | |
| In office January 1, 1985 – January 3, 2016 |
|
| Preceded by | Tom Bass |
| Succeeded by | Rodney Ellis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 30, 1949 Houston, Texas, US |
| Died | January 3, 2016 (aged 66) Houston, Texas, US |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Texas Southern University (BS) |
El Franco Lee was an important American politician. He was born on January 30, 1949, and passed away on January 3, 2016. For many years, he worked as a commissioner for Harris County, Texas. Before that, he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives.
Contents
Early Life and Education
El Franco Lee was born in Houston, Texas. His parents were Robert and Selma Lee. He had four siblings, three older and one younger. After finishing high school at Phillis Wheatley High, he went to Texas Southern University. There, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree.
Political Career
Serving in the Texas House
In 1978, El Franco Lee decided to run for office. He wanted to represent the 88th district in the Texas House of Representatives. Before running, he worked for six years as an assistant to Mickey Leland, who was leaving that position.
Lee faced some challenges when he first ran. He was almost removed from the ballot because of a problem with signatures. But a judge allowed him to stay on after he paid a fee. He won the Democratic primary election after a second round of voting. Since no one else ran against him, he won the main election in November.
As a state legislator, Lee helped make laws for Texas. He worked on several important groups called committees. These included committees for Business and Industry, Environmental Affairs, and Elections.
Becoming a Harris County Commissioner
In 1984, Lee decided to try for a new role. He chose not to run again for the Texas House. Instead, he wanted to become a Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 1. This job involves helping to manage the county.
He ran against other candidates, including Sylvester Turner. Lee won the election after a runoff vote. Since no one from the Republican Party ran for the position, Lee's victory meant he got the job. This made him the first African-American person to serve on Harris County's main governing body.
El Franco Lee served as a Harris County Commissioner for more than 30 years. He held this important position until he passed away in 2016.
Death
El Franco Lee died on January 3, 2016. He passed away from a heart attack at Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Legacy
El Franco Lee left a lasting impact on his community. In 1990, a local park in Houston was renamed El Franco Lee Park in his honor. This showed how much the community appreciated his work.
In May 2009, a health center was opened in Alief, Houston. It was named the El Franco Lee Health Center. This center helps people in the community get important medical care.
