Gilberto Hinojosa is an American politician. He is the chair of the

Texas Democratic Party The Texas Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Texas and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party's headquarters are in Austin, Texas. President Lyndon B. Johnson was a Texas Democ ...

. Hinojosa was the

county judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civil ...

Cameron County, Texas Cameron County, officially the County of Cameron, is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 421,017. Its county seat is Brownsville. The county was founded in 1848 and is named for Cap ...

from 1995 to 2006.

Early career

While living in Washington, DC, Hinojosa worked as a Staff Attorney for the Migrant Legal Action Program, Inc. He later became the Director of the Migrant Division of Colorado Rural Legal Services, Inc., in Denver, Colorado. Upon his return to his native Texas, Hinojosa continued practicing law as the Managing Attorney for the Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc., located in Brownsville, Texas. Although he briefly partnered with another law firm it was only until 1995 that he established his law firm of Magallanes & Hinojosa, P.C., in Brownsville, Texas.

County judge

Hinojosa was elected Cameron County Judge on November 8, 1994. During his administration, international bridges to Mexico were built and the restoration of the 1912 era courthouse was completed. The Dancy Building now houses the present county administration. On August 11, 2003, Hinojosa appeared before the

United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works The United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is responsible for legislation and oversight of the natural and built environment and for studying matters concerning environmental protection and resource conservation and util ...

in support of Senate Bill 1329, which would provide assistance in the relocation of railroads to improve access for commercial traffic passing through Cameron County to and from the international border with Mexico. During his statement, he also voiced his support for the planned Interstate 69 project. After the bill passed, the Cameron County West Rail Relocation Project was initiated which provided for the construction of a railroad across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas, to

Matamoros, Tamaulipas Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and the municipal seat of the homonymous municipality. It is on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, with approximately $21 million in federal funds provided. The present administration of Judge Carlos Cascos continues to work towards completion of this project.

County Democratic Chairman

Hinojosa was elected Chairman of the Cameron County Democratic Party on November 12, 2007. One day after the inauguration of President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

, Hinojosa attended the Democratic National Committee Winter Meeting held in Washington, DC. On January 23, 2008, he nominated Virginia Governor

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine (; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virgi ...

to head the Democratic National Committee. Thereafter, a unanimous vote made Governor Kaine the new leader of the Democratic National Committee.

Texas Democratic Party Chairmanship

On May 12, 2011, Hinojosa announced his intention to run for Chair of the Texas Democratic Party upon incumbent Boyd Richie announcing he would not run for re-election. He named Houston Attorney Cris Felman treasurer of his campaign. Hinojosa was elected Chair of the Texas Democratic Party on June 9, 2012 at the state party convention held in Houston. He replaced Boyd Richie, who retired.

Personal life

Hinojosa is the father of Xochitl Hinojosa, the

2020 Democratic National Convention The 2020 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention that was held from August 17 to 20, 2020, at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and virtually across the United States. At the convention, delegates of ...

spokesperson.

References

External links

* 1952 births County judges in Texas Hispanic and Latino American politicians Living people People from Cameron County, Texas People from Hidalgo County, Texas State political party chairs of Texas Texas Democrats {{Texas-politician-stub