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 from 1979 to 1985.

Early life

Lee was born in Houston, Texas, 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 Phillis Wheatley High School is a secondary school located at 4801 Providence Street in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States with a ZIP code of 77020. Wheatley is a part of the Houston Independent School District. Wheatley, named after Phillis W ...

, Lee earned a Bachelor of Science from Texas Southern University.

Career

Texas House of Representatives

Lee ran for office in the 88th district of the Texas House of Representatives in 1978. The 88th district was being vacated by Mickey Leland, under whom Lee served as an aide for six years. Lee, who was endorsed by the United Steelworkers, was initially disqualified from the ballot due to having an insufficient number of verifiable signatures for his

nominating petition A nominating petition is required in some jurisdictions, particularly in the United States of America, in order for an independent or non- major-party candidate to gain ballot access. A certain number of valid signatures is typically prescribed ...

. 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. Lee defeated Walker after a runoff election. Because the Republican

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *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 ensla ...

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 on January 3, 2016 at Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital, 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