Sheila Jackson Lee

Sheila Jackson Lee
Born	Sheila Jackson 12 1, 1950
Birthplace	Queens, New York City, U.S.
Died	Template:Death date and age Houston, Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, lawyer
Known for	U.S. Representative for Texas's 18th congressional district (1995–2024)
Education	Yale University (BA) University of Virginia School of Law (JD)
Children	2
Awards	Bush Intercontinental Airport Terminal E renamed in her honor (2025)
Website	[http://jacksonlee.house.gov/ Official site]

Sheila Jackson Lee (née Jackson; January 12, 1950 – July 19, 2024) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 18th congressional district from 1995 until her death in 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, Jackson Lee represented much of central Houston in Congress for nearly three decades, becoming one of the most prominent voices in the Congressional Black Caucus and a leading advocate for gun control legislation, immigration reform, and civil rights. Before entering Congress, she served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council and as a municipal court judge in Houston. Born in Queens, New York City, she attended Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law before building her political career in Texas. Jackson Lee also served as co-dean of Texas's congressional delegation. In June 2024, she announced that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and she died the following month at the age of 74. Following her death, multiple buildings and facilities in Houston were renamed in her honor, reflecting the significance of her long tenure representing the city.

Early Life

Sheila Jackson was born on January 12, 1950, in Queens, New York City. She grew up in the borough and attended Jamaica High School in Queens. Details about her parents and family background during her childhood in New York remain limited in publicly available sources, but her upbringing in one of New York City's most diverse boroughs shaped her later interest in public service and community advocacy.

Jackson Lee's path to higher education began when she earned a scholarship designated for Black students at New York University. She initially attended NYU before transferring to Yale University, one of the nation's most selective institutions. At Yale, she studied political science, earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1972. Her time at Yale coincided with a period of significant social and political upheaval in the United States, including the civil rights movement's continued evolution and growing activism on college campuses.

After completing her undergraduate education, Jackson Lee pursued a legal career by enrolling at the University of Virginia School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1975. The combination of her political science background from Yale and her legal training at Virginia provided the foundation for her subsequent career in both law and politics. Following law school, she relocated to Houston, Texas, where she would build the entirety of her political career over the following decades.

Education

Jackson Lee's educational trajectory took her through three prominent institutions of higher learning. She began her college education at New York University on a scholarship for Black students before transferring to Yale University, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1972. She then attended the University of Virginia School of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctor in 1975. Her education at Yale and the University of Virginia positioned her among a generation of African American professionals who attended elite institutions during the era of expanding access to higher education following the civil rights movement.

Career

Early Legal and Judicial Career

After earning her law degree and relocating to Houston, Jackson Lee entered the legal profession in Texas. In 1987, she was appointed as a municipal court judge for the city of Houston by then-Mayor Kathy Whitmire. Her service on the municipal bench provided her with firsthand experience in the local judicial system and public administration, and it raised her profile in Houston's political landscape. The appointment marked her first significant role in public office and served as a stepping stone to her subsequent career in elected politics.

Houston City Council

In 1989, Jackson Lee won election to the Houston City Council as an at-large member, taking office on January 2, 1990. She succeeded Anthony Hall in the at-large position. During her tenure on the city council, which lasted until January 3, 1995, she addressed municipal issues affecting Houston's diverse population. Her service on the council gave her broad exposure to the concerns of constituents across the city, rather than those of a single geographic district, which proved valuable when she later sought federal office. She was succeeded on the council by John Peavy.

U.S. House of Representatives

Election to Congress

In 1994, Jackson Lee launched a campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, seeking to represent Texas's 18th congressional district, which encompassed most of central Houston. In the Democratic primary, she defeated the incumbent, Craig Washington, securing the party's nomination. Given the district's strong Democratic lean, she went on to win the general election with ease. She took office on January 3, 1995, beginning what would become a nearly 30-year tenure in the U.S. Congress.

Legislative Priorities and Record

Throughout her congressional career, Jackson Lee supported progressive policy positions, including gun control, Medicare for All, immigration reform, and civil rights protections.

Jackson Lee was active on immigration policy and received recognition for her efforts in that area. In 2006, she was noted for her work on immigration legislation. Her district, with its large and diverse immigrant population, made immigration a central issue for her constituents.

In 2013, Jackson Lee introduced the Essential Transportation Worker Identification Credential Assessment Act, which addressed security credentialing for transportation workers. The legislation reflected her interest in homeland security and transportation policy, areas in which she was active through her committee assignments.

In 2021, following the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas and other incidents of gun violence, Jackson Lee introduced the Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Act, named after a Pakistani exchange student killed in the Santa Fe shooting. The legislation proposed a federal licensing and registration system for firearms, representing one of the more comprehensive gun control measures introduced in Congress.

Jackson Lee was a consistent advocate for civil rights legislation throughout her career. She was a vocal supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and spoke on the House floor in support of its ratification.

Committee Service

Jackson Lee served on several key House committees during her tenure, including the House Judiciary Committee and committees related to homeland security. Her positions on these committees placed her at the center of major legislative debates over immigration, criminal justice, and national security policy. She chaired a subcommittee within the House Judiciary Committee and also served in leadership roles within the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

In 2019, Jackson Lee stepped down from her role as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and from her subcommittee chairmanship on the House Judiciary Committee after a lawsuit was filed by a former staff member. The lawsuit alleged that the former staffer had been fired due to planned legal action against an alleged assault by a supervisor.

Congressional Tenure and Reputation

Jackson Lee served in Congress continuously from January 1995 until her death in July 2024, a period spanning nearly 30 years and encompassing 15 terms. She represented a reliably Democratic district and faced limited general election challenges throughout her career, though she occasionally faced competitive primary contests.

Her tenure was not without controversy. In 2010, she drew public attention for a statement regarding Vietnam that was scrutinized by fact-checkers. She was also the subject of reporting regarding a trip funded by a foreign government, as documented by The Washington Post in 2015, which identified her as one of ten members of Congress who participated in a trip that was secretly funded by a foreign government.

Jackson Lee was also known for her demanding management style with congressional staff. In 2013, The Washington Times included her in a report examining the reputations of members of Congress as employers. A 1997 profile in the Houston Press also examined her conduct and management approach.

Despite these controversies, Jackson Lee maintained strong support in her district and continued to win reelection. She served as co-dean of Texas's congressional delegation, a position reflecting her seniority among the state's representatives in Washington.

Hurricane Naming Advocacy

In 2009, Jackson Lee attracted media coverage when she suggested that hurricanes should be given names that better reflected the diversity of communities affected by them. Her comments were reported by Wired magazine and generated public discussion about the naming conventions used by meteorological agencies.

2023 Houston Mayoral Campaign

In March 2023, Jackson Lee announced her candidacy for the Houston mayoral election, seeking to become the city's next mayor while simultaneously holding her congressional seat. The race drew a crowded field of candidates. In the first round of voting, Jackson Lee placed second behind state senator John Whitmire, but no candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote, triggering a runoff election.

The runoff between Jackson Lee and Whitmire took place on December 9, 2023. Despite securing several endorsements during the runoff campaign, Jackson Lee lost the election to Whitmire. The defeat marked a rare electoral setback in her long political career. However, she quickly pivoted back to her congressional seat: on December 11, 2023, just two days after the mayoral runoff, she filed to run for reelection to her House seat.

Final Campaign and Death

Jackson Lee won the Democratic primary for her congressional seat on March 5, 2024, securing her party's nomination for what would have been her 16th term. However, in June 2024, she publicly announced that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. On July 19, 2024, Jackson Lee died in Houston at the age of 74. Her death ended a nearly 30-year tenure representing Houston in Congress.

Following her death, her daughter, Erica Lee Carter, was elected in November 2024 to fill the remaining two months of her mother's congressional term.

Personal Life

Jackson Lee had two children, including her daughter Erica Lee Carter. Erica Lee Carter followed her mother into public service, winning election to complete the final months of Jackson Lee's congressional term after her death. In February 2026, Erica Lee Carter was appointed by Harris County commissioners to serve as the county's new county administrator, further extending the family's involvement in Houston-area governance.

Jackson Lee resided in Houston throughout her political career after relocating to the city following law school. She died in Houston on July 19, 2024, following her diagnosis with pancreatic cancer.

Recognition

Following Jackson Lee's death, multiple efforts were undertaken in Houston to honor her legacy and long service to the city.

In April 2025, the Houston City Council voted unanimously to rename Terminal E at George Bush Intercontinental Airport after Jackson Lee. The renaming recognized her nearly three decades of representing parts of Houston in Congress and her work on behalf of the city's residents.

In May 2025, Harris County leaders and members of Jackson Lee's family gathered for a ceremony to rename the county building located at 1111 Fannin Street in downtown Houston in her honor. Harris County commissioners dedicated the building as a tribute to her service to the county and its residents.

These naming honors reflected the breadth of Jackson Lee's impact on the Houston area. The airport terminal renaming in particular recognized the significance of Bush Intercontinental Airport as a major international gateway and the role Jackson Lee played in advocating for Houston's interests at the federal level.

Legacy

Sheila Jackson Lee's nearly 30-year tenure in Congress made her one of the longest-serving representatives in Texas history and one of the most prominent African American women in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her career spanned from local government service in Houston to a prominent role in national politics, and she was a consistent advocate for gun control, immigration reform, civil rights, and progressive policy priorities throughout her time in office.

Her legacy in Houston was cemented through the posthumous renaming of major public facilities in her honor, including a terminal at Bush Intercontinental Airport and a Harris County government building. These tributes reflected the deep ties she maintained with her Houston constituents over decades of service.

Jackson Lee's influence also extended through her family's continued public service. Her daughter, Erica Lee Carter, served in Congress to complete her mother's term and was subsequently appointed as Harris County's county administrator in 2026. Carter has spoken publicly about carrying forward her mother's legacy while forging her own path in public service.

The 18th congressional district that Jackson Lee represented for nearly three decades continued to be a focal point of Houston politics following her death. As of early 2026, the race for her former seat attracted multiple candidates, underscoring the district's importance in Texas politics.

Jackson Lee's career illustrated the trajectory of African American political leadership in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, from local judicial and municipal roles to sustained national influence through congressional service. Her record of legislative activity, constituent engagement, and advocacy on issues ranging from gun violence prevention to immigration reflected the priorities of her district and the broader Democratic coalition during her time in office.