Joaquin Castro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joaquin Castro
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Official portrait, 2023
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 20th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Charlie Gonzalez |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 125th district |
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| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Art Reyna |
| Succeeded by | Justin Rodriguez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 16, 1974 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Anna Flores
(m. 2013) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Julian Castro (twin brother) Rosie Castro (mother) |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) Harvard University (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | |
Joaquin Castro (born September 16, 1974) is an American lawyer and Democratic politician. He has represented Texas's 20th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2013. This district covers more than half of his hometown, San Antonio, Texas.
Currently, he works on important committees in the U.S. House. These include the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, which deals with international relations, and the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which focuses on national security.
Before joining the U.S. House, Castro served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2003 to 2013. There, he helped make laws for the state of Texas. He was also the campaign leader for his identical twin brother, Julian Castro, when Julian ran for president in 2020.
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Early Life and Education
Joaquin Castro grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He was born just one minute after his twin brother, Julian Castro. He went to Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio.
He became interested in public service at a young age. This was because his parents were very involved in political campaigns and community work. His mother, Rosie Castro, is a well-known community activist. His father, Jessie Guzman, was a math teacher.
Joaquin studied at Stanford University, where he earned a degree in political science and communications. Later, he and his brother both went to Harvard Law School and became lawyers. After law school, they worked at a law firm before starting their own firm in 2005.
Serving in the Texas House
Becoming a State Representative
In 2002, Joaquin Castro decided to run for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. He won the election when he was 28 years old. He was reelected several times without much opposition. This showed that people in his district supported him.
Important Roles in Texas
While in the Texas House, Castro worked on several important committees. He was the vice-chair of the Higher Education Committee. This committee deals with colleges and universities in Texas. He also served on committees related to law and justice, and issues affecting families and young people.
Serving in the U.S. House
Running for Congress
In 2011, Castro decided to run for a seat in the United States House of Representatives. He ran for the 20th district of Texas. This district is known for having many Democratic voters. He won the election in November 2012. He became only the fifth person to represent this district since it was created in 1935.
At the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Joaquin introduced his brother Julián, who gave a very important speech.
Key Actions and Roles
Joaquin Castro officially started his work in the U.S. House on January 3, 2013. He was chosen to lead the group of new Democratic members in Congress.
Later, he became a chief deputy whip for the House Democrats. This means he helped make sure other Democratic members voted together on important issues. During the 2016 presidential election, he supported Hillary Clinton's campaign. He also led the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, a group of Hispanic members of Congress.
In 2019, Castro introduced a bill to stop a national emergency declaration. This declaration would have allowed money to be used for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill passed both the House and the Senate, but the President at the time, Donald Trump, stopped it with a veto.
In August 2019, Castro shared information about people who had donated money to a presidential campaign. He said he was sad to see people in his city supporting a campaign that he felt was unfair to Hispanic immigrants. This caused some debate among politicians.
In January 2021, Castro was chosen to be an impeachment manager. This meant he acted as a prosecutor during a trial in the Senate for a former president.
In 2023, Castro voted against a bill called the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. This bill dealt with government spending. According to an analysis, Castro votes with President Joe Biden's positions almost all the time.
Committees and Groups
Joaquin Castro serves on important committees in the U.S. House:
- Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence: This committee oversees intelligence agencies like the CIA.
- Committee on Foreign Affairs: This committee handles how the U.S. interacts with other countries. He is a ranking member (a top leader for his party) on the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere.
He is also part of several groups in Congress, including:
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- New Democrat Coalition
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus
- U.S.-Japan Caucus (he helped start this group)
- Bipartisan Congressional Pre-K and Child Care Caucus (he helped start this group)
- ASEAN Caucus (he helped start this group)
Personal Life
Family Life
Joaquin Castro is the son of Jesse Guzman and Rosie Castro. He is the identical twin brother of Julian Castro, who used to be the mayor of San Antonio and a cabinet secretary. Joaquin is one minute younger than Julián. In 2019, Joaquin grew a beard to help people tell him apart from his brother!
In 2013, Joaquin got engaged to Anna Flores. They have three children: a daughter born in 2013, a son born in 2016, and another daughter born in 2022. They live together in San Antonio.
Other Work and Interests
Besides being a politician, Joaquin Castro has also practiced law in San Antonio. He has taught law at St. Mary's University and Trinity University. He also serves on the boards of several non-profit groups and universities.
Health Update
In February 2023, Joaquin Castro had surgery to remove some small growths called neuroendocrine tumors. These tumors had spread from his small intestine to his liver. Doctors found these tumors in 2022.
He had a major surgery where parts of his colon, gallbladder, and appendix were removed. He also had many lymph nodes removed, some of which had cancer cells. He now receives monthly injections to help slow the growth of any remaining tumors and gets regular check-ups. Castro has said that the tumors have not grown since his diagnosis. He remains hopeful about his health.
See also
In Spanish: Joaquín Castro para niños
- List of Harvard University politicians
- List of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress
