Esteban Torres
Esteban Torres | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 34th district | |
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1999 | |
Preceded by | Dan Lungren |
Succeeded by | Grace Napolitano |
Personal details | |
Born | Sergeant First Class | January 27, 1930
Battles/wars | Korean War |
Esteban Edward Torres (January 27, 1930 – January 25, 2022) was an American politician who served as member of the United States House of Representatives for California's 34th congressional district from 1983 to 1999.[1]
Early life
Torres was born in Miami, Arizona, to parents from Mexico. He was raised in East Los Angeles, California mostly by his mother, Rena Gómez. His father was a miner, but was deported to Mexico during the Mexican Repatriation of the 1930s.[2][3] He graduated from East Los Angeles College and California State University, Los Angeles, and later took graduate courses at the University of Maryland, College Park and American University.[2][4]
Career
He served in the
Torres was unsuccessful in his attempt to win a seat in the House of Representatives in 1974, but was elected in 1982 as a Democrat. He served from 1983 until 1999. During his time in office, he prioritized issue related to Hispanics, and in 1986 he played a key role in the development and passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act.[4]
He did not run for reelection in 1998 and was succeeded by Democrat Grace Napolitano. He served as a member of the California Transportation Commission[5] from 1997 to 2007.
Personal life and death
Torres and his wife, Arcy Sanchez, had four children. He died on January 25, 2022, two days shy of his 92nd birthday.[2]
Legacy and awards
- Esteban E. Torres NCLR-Harvard Mid-Career Fellowship Program - a partnership between John F. Kennedy School of Government[6]
- Esteban Torres High School
- In 2001, Torres was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) degree from Whittier College.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Esteban Torres". Hispanic Americans in Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ Sierra, José Luis (November 12, 2004). "Chopped Lives". La Opinion. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
- ^ a b Vives, Ruben (January 27, 2022). "Esteban Torres, longtime L.A. congressman who championed Latino rights, dies at 91". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
- ^ "Commissioners". California Transportation Commission (CTC). Archived from the original on September 7, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2006.
- ^ "National Directory of Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships for Latino Youth" (PDF). CHCI: 82. 2002. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
The Esteban E. Torres Fellowship, a fellowship for Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government
- ^ "Honorary Degrees". Whittier College. 2001.
External links
- United States Congress. "Esteban Torres (id: T000316)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Appearances on C-SPAN