El Franco Lee (January30, 1949January3, 2016) was an American politician who served as a Harris County commissioner from 1985 to his death in 2016. Before becoming a county commissioner, he served as a member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abo ...

from 1979 to 1985.

Early life

Lee was born in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, on January 30, 1949 to Robert and Selma Lee. He had one younger sibling and three older siblings. After graduating from Phillis Wheatley High School, Lee earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

from

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,00 ...

Career

Texas House of Representatives

Lee ran for office in the 88th district of the

in 1978. The 88th district was being vacated by

Mickey Leland George Thomas "Mickey" Leland III (November 27, 1944 – August 7, 1989) was an anti-poverty activist who later became a congressman from the Texas 18th District and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. He was a Democrat. Early years Leland ...

, under whom Lee served as an aide for six years. Lee, who was endorsed by the

United Steelworkers The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headquar ...

, was initially disqualified from the ballot due to having an insufficient number of verifiable signatures for his nominating petition. After a ruling by district judge

Jim Wallace James Robert Wallace, Baron Wallace of Tankerness, (born 25 August 1954) is a Scottish politician serving as a Liberal Democrat life peer in the British House of Lords since 2007 and Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland ...

, Lee was allowed to remain on the ballot after paying a $400 fee. He defeated Norma Watson in the Democratic primary after a runoff election. Lee, who was running unopposed, won the general election in November. During his tenure as a state legislator, Lee served on the Business and Industry, Intergovernmental Affairs, Ways and Means, Environmental Affairs, and Elections committees.

Harris County Commissioner

In January 1984, Lee announced he would not seek re-election to the Texas House and instead seek the position of Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 1. Lee's primary challengers included Carl Walker Jr. and

Sylvester Turner Sylvester Turner (born September 27, 1954) is an American attorney and politician who is serving as the 62nd mayor of Houston, Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, Turner was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1989 until 201 ...

. Lee defeated Walker after a runoff election. Because the Republican Republican Party did not field any candidates for the position, Lee's victory in the runoff ensured him of the post. As a result, Lee became the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

member of Harris County's governing body. Lee served in this position for over 30 years until his death in 2016.

Death

Lee died of a

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...

on January 3, 2016 at

Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital The Harris Health System, previously the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD), is a governmental entity with taxing authority that owns and operates three hospitals and numerous clinics throughout Harris County, Texas, United States, includin ...

, in Houston, Texas.

Legacy

In 1990, the local communities around Hall Road Park in Houston successfully petitioned to rename the park as El Franco Lee Park. In May 2009, the

Harris County Hospital District The Harris Health System, previously the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD), is a governmental entity with taxing authority that owns and operates three hospitals and numerous clinics throughout Harris County, Texas, United States, includin ...

opened the El Franco Lee Health Center in

Alief, Houston Alief is a working-class suburb in Southwest Harris County, Texas, United States. Most of Alief is within the city limits of Houston, while a portion of the community is in unincorporated Harris County. First settled in 1894 as a rural farm co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, El Franco 1949 births Texas Southern University alumni Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives African-American state legislators in Texas 2016 deaths County commissioners in Texas Politicians from Houston 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people