U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, a fierce champion for higher education, died on Saturday at the age of 74, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Jackson Lee represented the 18th Congressional District of Texas and served nearly 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her legislative initiatives included the Sentencing Reform Act, the George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, The RAISE Act, The Fair Chance for Youth Act, the Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act, Kaleif’s Law, the American RISING Act.
Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee
Jackson Lee served as the Democratic Chief Deputy Whip and was a senior member of the House’s Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget committees. She was appointed the first female Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
She successfully advocated for the passage of the Violence Against Women’s Act and was the author and lead sponsor of the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. She also introduced the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant Reauthorization and Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act, the Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Offender Relief Act.
Jackson Lee held a bachelor’s degree in political science from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. She married Dr. Elwyn Lee, also a Yale graduate and an administrator at the University of Houston. She is survived by two children, Jason Lee, a graduate of Harvard University, and Erica Lee, a graduate of Duke University; grandchildren Ellison Bennett Carter and Roy Lee Carter III; and a host of family and friends.
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