Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. House member for nearly 30 years, dies

July 20 (UPI) -- Sheila Jackson Lee , a member of the U.S. House serving Houston for nearly 30 years, has died, her family announced Friday. She was 74.

In June, the Democrat announced that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

"Today, with incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th Congressional District of Texas," her family said in a statement .

"A local, national, and international humanitarian, she was acknowledged worldwide for her courageous fights for racial justice, criminal justice, and human rights, with a special emphasis on women and children," the statement said.

Described by her family as "a local, national, and international humanitarian, she was acknowledged worldwide for her courageous fights for racial justice, criminal justice and human rights, with a special emphasis on women and children.

"Her legislative victories impacted millions, from establishing the Juneteenth Federal Holiday to reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act."

She won in the Democratic Primary for the district in March after losing in her effort to become Houston's mayor in December.

Her House seat represented much of inner city Houston and the surrounding areas. She easily won 15 times in the November elections.

"We will not stop until the nation knows Black lives matter, and reparations are passed as the most significant civil rights legislation of the 21st century," Jackson Lee said at a march in Washington, D.C. in 2020.

Before serving in the U.S. House, Jackson Lee was Houston municipal judge from 1987-1990 and a city councilwoman from 1989-1994 before she was elected to her congressional seat in November 1994, unseating a Democratic incumbent, Craig Washington, in the primary.

Jackson Lee served on the House Science Committee and on the Subcommittee that oversees space policy and NASA. The Johnson Space Center is based in the Houston area.

In the House, she was chief deputy whip for House Democrats and a vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She formerly served as whip of the Congressional Black Caucus.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement : "Sheila Jackson Lee was an accomplished legislator, passionate public servant, loving mentor and wonderful friend to so many of us in the Congressional Black Caucus and House Democratic Caucus family. I am grateful for her fearless advocacy, fierce determination, formidable service and legacy of leadership.

"Rep. Jackson Lee will be deeply missed by so many in her district and throughout the nation. Our prayers are with her family and loved ones during this difficult time. May she forever rest in power.

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford and members of the Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement: "Congresswoman Jackson Lee was a patriot and a fighter to the very end. "Words cannot express the sense of loss our Caucus feels for our beloved friend. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her."

In 2019, she resigned as chairwoman of the nonprofit Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and stepped down from a House Judiciary subcommittee chairmanship after a lawsuit that alleged she fired a staffer who reported sexual assault by a supervisor at the foundation. A lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge in February 2020.

The makeup of the U.S. House is 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats, with three vacancies.

Sheila Jackson was born on Jan. 12, 1950, in Queens, New York. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1972 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1975.

She married Elwynn Lee in 1973 and had two children. Her family moved to Houston in 1987.