Bill Text: TX SR86 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commemorating the life of José Tomás Canales.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-01-30 - Reported enrolled [SR86 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SR86-Enrolled.html
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| WHEREAS, The life and achievements of the Honorable José | ||
| Tomás Canales, a former state representative and civil rights | ||
| trailblazer, are being honored on the 100th anniversary of his | ||
| landmark 1919 investigation of the Texas Rangers; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Born into a prominent Nueces County ranching | ||
| family in 1877, J. T. Canales earned his law degree from the | ||
| University of Michigan; from 1900 to 1903, he practiced in Corpus | ||
| Christi and Laredo before settling in Brownsville, where he spent | ||
| the next two decades as a lawyer and a public official; and | ||
| WHEREAS, In addition to serving as superintendent of the | ||
| Cameron County public schools and as a county judge, Mr. Canales | ||
| spent five terms as a member of the Texas House of | ||
| Representatives, holding office from 1905 to 1911 and from 1917 | ||
| to 1921; the only Hispanic state representative at the time, he | ||
| provided an important voice for the diverse populations living in | ||
| the Lower Rio Grande Valley; and | ||
| WHEREAS, One of Representative Canales's most notable | ||
| accomplishments was his 1919 investigation into the Texas | ||
| Rangers for their actions during the 1910s, in particular the | ||
| massacre of 15 unarmed ethnic Mexican men and boys, when the | ||
| Mexican Revolution roiled the border area; the Canales | ||
| Investigation, as it became known, shined a light on the | ||
| excessive violence carried out by the Rangers against residents | ||
| of Mexican descent, which resulted in as many as 5,000 deaths | ||
| between 1914 and 1919; though he faced opposition and death | ||
| threats for his efforts, Representative Canales outlined | ||
| numerous instances of misconduct by members of the law | ||
| enforcement agency, and the investigation ultimately resulted in | ||
| the force being reorganized and reduced in number; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Representative Canales decided not to seek | ||
| reelection in 1920 and retired from state office, but he remained | ||
| active in Hispanic civil rights initiatives; he was integral to | ||
| the founding of the League of United Latin American Citizens, and | ||
| he served as Brownsville city attorney and chaired the Texas | ||
| Council on Human Rights; a lifelong believer in the importance of | ||
| accessible, high-quality education, he wrote numerous articles | ||
| and books about Mexican American history and the development of | ||
| South Texas; he passed away in Brownsville on March 30, 1976, at | ||
| the age of 99; and | ||
| WHEREAS, J. T. Canales was a pioneering figure in the | ||
| struggle for social justice in the Lone Star State, and his | ||
| vision and leadership remain a continuing source of inspiration; | ||
| now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th | ||
| Legislature, hereby pay tribute to the legacy of José Tomás Canales | ||
| and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canales Investigation. | ||
| Rodríguez | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| President of the Senate | ||
| I hereby certify that the | ||
| above Resolution was adopted by | ||
| the Senate on January 30, 2019. | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| ________________________________ | ||
| Member, Texas Senate | ||
