Juan M. Escobar is a former county judge and State Representative in Texas.
Early life and education
Early in his life, Escobar was a migrant worker. Escobar attended Roma High School, where he was a Texas All-State Class AA first team selection in basketball, competed in the 440 at the Texas Class AA State final, and served as Student Council President during his senior year.
Military service
Escobar served with the
1st Marine Division
The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).
It is th ...
in Vietnam where he was wounded in action in 1970. He rose to the rank of
Sergeant and was assigned to United States Marine Barracks 8th & I in Washington, D.C. where he was a pall bearer for Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Harry S. Truman. He ended his duties as a Marine and was promoted to the rank of
Staff Sergeant in the
United States Marine Corps Reserve
The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned p ...
where he served as a Platoon Sergeant with a Reco Unit.
He began his career with
United States Border Patrol in 1978 and was the "Patrol Agent in Charge" at the Sarita checkpoint for several years. His exceptional service with the Border Patrol led to his promotion to Senior Special Agent with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. He retired from the Department of Homeland Security in 2003.
Political career
Escobar was elected to 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 ...
in a special election to replace the late Irma Rangel in May 2003. He served in that capacity until January 2009. He served as Vice Chair of the Defense Affairs—State Federal Relations, Criminal Jurisprudence, House Administration, Border and Intergovernmental Affairs and Land and Resource Management.
In 2008 he was defeated by fellow Democrat Tara Rios Ybarra 53.74% to his 46.25% in a higher than average turnout election.
In 2010 he was elected as
Kleberg County
Kleberg County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 31,040. The county seat is Kingsville. The county was organized in 1913 and is named for Robert J. Kleberg, an early settler.
Kleberg County is ...
Judge, and served until December 2014.
Personal life
Escobar lives in Kingsville, Texas with his wife of 43 years, Maria del Rosario (Rosie). He is a lay minister and former administrator for St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Kingsville. He serves as a Major in the
Civil Air Patrol.
His children are Yvonne Yvette and Eduardo Eden, daughter in law Marleena and two grandsons Branden Luke and Jacob Dylan.
References
External links
TedKennedy.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Escobar, Juan M.
County judges in Texas
Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives
Living people
Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Texas
United States Border Patrol agents
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War
Texas lawyers
Year of birth missing (living people)