Lena Guerrero
Encyclopedia
Lena Guerrero Aguirre, known as Lena Guerrero (November 27, 1957 – April 24, 2008), was the first woman and the first person of ethnic minority background to have served on the Texas Railroad Commission, an elected body which currently regulates the oil
and natural gas
industry. In 1992, her once promising political career ended over a falsified résumé. Sixteen years later, she died of brain cancer at the age of fifty.
near McAllen
in the Rio Grande Valley
. As a child in the 1960s, Lena worked during summers as a migrant laborer
alongside her eight siblings.
in the late 1970s, Guerrero became interested in politics
. At the age of twenty-one in 1979, she was elected president of the Young Democrats
of Texas. In 1984, at the age of twenty-five, she became the second female Hispanic
to be elected to the Texas House of Representatives
. She defeated five male opponents in a then Anglo-but-Democratic-majority district. No Republican
contested the seat despite the landslide victory that year of Ronald W. Reagan as U.S. President. Guerrero's district included parts of Central and East Austin.
In 1989, Guerrero was named among the "Top 10" legislators by Texas Monthly
magazine
. She was cited in Newsweek
and USA Today
and, having left the legislature, was awarded a speaking slot at the 1992 Democratic National Convention
in New York City
, which nominated Bill Clinton
of Arkansas
to oppose incumbent
George Herbert Walker Bush of Texas. She was also executive director of the Texas Women's Political Caucus.
Ann W. Richards, a fellow Democrat, appointed her to fill a vacancy on the three-member Railroad Commission. Her selection was said to have symbolized Richards' hope of a "New Texas"; prior to that, the commission's members had always been white males.
In 1992, Guerrero faced voters in her bid for a six-year term on the Railroad Commission. When it was revealed that Guerrero had lied about having graduated from UT, the momentum shifted heavily to her Republican opponent, Attorney
Barry Williamson
.
Guerrero later obtained her UT degree -- she had been nineteen credits short of a Bachelor's degree
-- and became an Austin lobbyist for Bravo Communications, representing such clients as American Telephone & Telegraph
, Blue Cross, and the Tigua Indians. She helped pass a bill to allow the Tigua Indians casino
s on their reservation
. In defending her position, Guerrero said that the issue "is not about gambling
. This is about the Indians and their right to use their land.".
In the race for Railroad Commissioner, Guerrero had expected to face Carole Strayhorn, then a Democrat whom Guerrero had supported in the successful nonpartisan
race for Mayor
of Austin in 1977. However, Strayhorn, then Carole Rylander, lost the Republican primary to Williamson. Strayhorn's second husband, Hill Rylander, as president of the UT Alumni Association, learned that Guerrero did not have the college degree that she claimed when the Association planned to honor Guerrero as a "distinguished alumna".
In a 1998 interview with the Houston Chronicle
, Guerrero reflected that she had mishandled her resignation from the Railroad Commission. "... if you can't learn and go on and you dwell too much in the past, then you're really wasting your present." She resigned two months short of entering in the State's health insurance
program, which worked against her financially when she was stricken in 2000 with two malignant brain tumor
s.
Guerrero underwent proton beam
therapy at Loma Linda University Medical Center
near San Bernardino
, California
. Lobbyist Mignon McGarry said that Guerrero went for treatment at Loma Linda after having been admonished by physician
s at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston
that she would otherwise not live more than two years.
, for the two had a friendship which began in 1985, when both were freshmen Democratic legislators. Guerrero said that while she and Perry had disagreed on certain issues, they had a relationship of "civility". Perry won his general election with 39 percent of the vote over four rivals, including Carole Strayhorn, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent. On Guerrero's death, Perry directed that flags at the Texas State Capitol
and other state buildings be flown at half-staff in her memory. He described Guerrero as a "bright, passionate woman who worked hard to represent the interests of her constituents. . . . She was the sort of person who placed loyalty and principle ahead of politics." Former Speaker
Pete Laney
of Hale Center
, a Democrat, agreed with Perry: "I don't think there was anyone who was more passionate about their service in the legislature or (about) their constituents and beliefs."Strayhorn said that Guerrero "did so much at a very young age, certainly knocked down a lot of barriers for women and Hispanics and all of the above."
player at New Mexico State University
in Las Cruces, New Mexico
.J. Thomas Stewart, a former aide
to Guerrero, issued this statement for the family: "Lena was a champion. She dealt with the struggles in her personal life in the same way she dealt with those in her public life — with tenacity, vigor and a sense of humor that we will miss more than words can say." Though she had been given six months to live with the diagnosis of her brain cancer, she survived nearly eight years.
A funeral mass was held on April 26 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic
Church in Austin. Burial was in the Monument Hill section of the Texas State Cemetery
in Austin.
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
industry. In 1992, her once promising political career ended over a falsified résumé. Sixteen years later, she died of brain cancer at the age of fifty.
Early years in Mission
Guerrero was the fifth of nine children born to Alvaro Guerrero (1918–1969) and the former Adela Salazar (born ca. 1921) in MissionMission, Texas
Mission is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. The population was 77,058 at the 2010 census Mission is part of the McAllen–Edinburg–Mission and Reynosa–McAllen metropolitan areas.-Geography:Mission is located at ....
near McAllen
McAllen, Texas
McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. It is located at the southern tip of Texas in an area known as the Rio Grande Valley and is part of the . Its southern boundary is located about five miles from the U.S.–Mexico border and the Mexican city of Reynosa, the Rio...
in the Rio Grande Valley
Rio Grande Valley
The Rio Grande Valley or the Lower Rio Grande Valley, informally called The Valley, is an area located in the southernmost tip of South Texas...
. As a child in the 1960s, Lena worked during summers as a migrant laborer
Migrant worker
The term migrant worker has different official meanings and connotations in different parts of the world. The United Nations' definition is broad, including any people working outside of their home country...
alongside her eight siblings.
Political career
As a student at the University of Texas at AustinAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
in the late 1970s, Guerrero became interested in politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
. At the age of twenty-one in 1979, she was elected president of the Young Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
of Texas. In 1984, at the age of twenty-five, she became the second female Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
to be elected to the Texas House of Representatives
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
. She defeated five male opponents in a then Anglo-but-Democratic-majority district. No Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
contested the seat despite the landslide victory that year of Ronald W. Reagan as U.S. President. Guerrero's district included parts of Central and East Austin.
In 1989, Guerrero was named among the "Top 10" legislators by Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
. She was cited in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and, having left the legislature, was awarded a speaking slot at the 1992 Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, which nominated Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
to oppose incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
George Herbert Walker Bush of Texas. She was also executive director of the Texas Women's Political Caucus.
Railroad commissioner
In 1991, GovernorGovernor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Ann W. Richards, a fellow Democrat, appointed her to fill a vacancy on the three-member Railroad Commission. Her selection was said to have symbolized Richards' hope of a "New Texas"; prior to that, the commission's members had always been white males.
In 1992, Guerrero faced voters in her bid for a six-year term on the Railroad Commission. When it was revealed that Guerrero had lied about having graduated from UT, the momentum shifted heavily to her Republican opponent, Attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Barry Williamson
Barry Williamson
Barry Ashlin Williamson is an American attorney who served as a Republican member of the Texas Railroad Commission from 1992-1999...
.
Guerrero later obtained her UT degree -- she had been nineteen credits short of a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
-- and became an Austin lobbyist for Bravo Communications, representing such clients as American Telephone & Telegraph
American Telephone & Telegraph
AT&T Corp., originally American Telephone and Telegraph Company, is an American telecommunications company that provides voice, video, data, and Internet telecommunications and professional services to businesses, consumers, and government agencies. AT&T is the oldest telecommunications company...
, Blue Cross, and the Tigua Indians. She helped pass a bill to allow the Tigua Indians casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s on their reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
. In defending her position, Guerrero said that the issue "is not about gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
. This is about the Indians and their right to use their land.".
In the race for Railroad Commissioner, Guerrero had expected to face Carole Strayhorn, then a Democrat whom Guerrero had supported in the successful nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
race for Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Austin in 1977. However, Strayhorn, then Carole Rylander, lost the Republican primary to Williamson. Strayhorn's second husband, Hill Rylander, as president of the UT Alumni Association, learned that Guerrero did not have the college degree that she claimed when the Association planned to honor Guerrero as a "distinguished alumna".
In a 1998 interview with the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
, Guerrero reflected that she had mishandled her resignation from the Railroad Commission. "... if you can't learn and go on and you dwell too much in the past, then you're really wasting your present." She resigned two months short of entering in the State's health insurance
Health insurance
Health insurance is insurance against the risk of incurring medical expenses among individuals. By estimating the overall risk of health care expenses among a targeted group, an insurer can develop a routine finance structure, such as a monthly premium or payroll tax, to ensure that money is...
program, which worked against her financially when she was stricken in 2000 with two malignant brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
s.
Guerrero underwent proton beam
Proton beam
Proton beams, a type of ion beams, are the result of proton particle acceleration by means of a cyclotron or a synchrotron and can be used e.g. in Proton Beam Therapy for cancer treatment or for proton beam writing in lithography....
therapy at Loma Linda University Medical Center
Loma Linda University Medical Center
Loma Linda University Medical Center is a teaching hospital on the campus of Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, United States. The medical center serves as a level I trauma center for San Bernardino County and the rest of the Inland Empire. It is one of two closest trauma centers for...
near San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Lobbyist Mignon McGarry said that Guerrero went for treatment at Loma Linda after having been admonished by physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
that she would otherwise not live more than two years.
Endorsing Rick Perry
Though a staunch Democrat, Guerrero endorsed the reelection in 2006 of Republican Governor Rick PerryRick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
, for the two had a friendship which began in 1985, when both were freshmen Democratic legislators. Guerrero said that while she and Perry had disagreed on certain issues, they had a relationship of "civility". Perry won his general election with 39 percent of the vote over four rivals, including Carole Strayhorn, a Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent. On Guerrero's death, Perry directed that flags at the Texas State Capitol
Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is located in Austin, Texas, and is the fourth building to be the house of Texas government in Austin. It houses the chambers of the Texas Legislature and the office of the governor of Texas. It was designed originally during 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, and was...
and other state buildings be flown at half-staff in her memory. He described Guerrero as a "bright, passionate woman who worked hard to represent the interests of her constituents. . . . She was the sort of person who placed loyalty and principle ahead of politics." Former Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
Pete Laney
Pete Laney
James E. "Pete" Laney is a U.S. Democratic Party politician from West Texas. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for 34 years from Hale Center . Laney served as Speaker for ten years from 1993 to 2003, a record matching that set by his predecessor, fellow Democrat Gibson D...
of Hale Center
Hale Center, Texas
Hale Center is a city in Hale County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,263 at the 2000 census. Hale Center is near the county seat of Plainview.Hale Center is located at ....
, a Democrat, agreed with Perry: "I don't think there was anyone who was more passionate about their service in the legislature or (about) their constituents and beliefs."Strayhorn said that Guerrero "did so much at a very young age, certainly knocked down a lot of barriers for women and Hispanics and all of the above."
Death and legacy
In addition to her mother and siblings, she was survived by her husband, Lionel "Leo" Aguirre of Austin, and a son, Leo G. Aguirre (born 1987), a baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player at New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
in Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
.J. Thomas Stewart, a former aide
Aide
Aide may refer to:* A person who assists another; an assistant. In military contexts; an officer who acts as assistant to a more senior one; an aide-de-camp.* Aide , a purported Basque deity....
to Guerrero, issued this statement for the family: "Lena was a champion. She dealt with the struggles in her personal life in the same way she dealt with those in her public life — with tenacity, vigor and a sense of humor that we will miss more than words can say." Though she had been given six months to live with the diagnosis of her brain cancer, she survived nearly eight years.
A funeral mass was held on April 26 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Church in Austin. Burial was in the Monument Hill section of the Texas State Cemetery
Texas State Cemetery
The Texas State Cemetery is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, the capital of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revolutionary general and Vice-President of the Republic of Texas, it was expanded into a Confederate cemetery during the Civil War...
in Austin.