Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a progressive champion, dies at 74

Houston-area Democrat served in Congress for more than 30 years as a stalwart of the American left

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee attends an awards ceremony hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus in 2023. The Texas lawmaker died on Friday after battling pancreatic cancer. (Getty)

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has died aged 74 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The Houston area congresswoman was a fixture of Democratic Party politics for almost three decades and a well-loved figure in the state of Texas. Her family announced her death on Friday evening.

"Today, with incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of US representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th Congressional District of Texas. A fierce champion of the people, she was affectionately and simply known as ‘Congresswoman’ by her constituents in recognition for her near-ubiquitous presence and service to their daily lives for more than 30 years,” her family wrote in a statement released on her Twitter account.

Given Texas’s status as a traditionally Republican state, tributes for Jackson Lee poured in from friends made on both sides of the aisle during her time in Congress – including such polar opposites as Nancy Pelosi, Jamaal Bowman and Ted Cruz.

Sheila Jackson Lee attends an awards ceremony hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus in 2023. The Texas lawmaker died on Friday after battling pancreatic cancer. (Getty Images for Congressional B)

“It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of my dear friend and colleague congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee,” said former speaker of the House Ms Pelosi.

“Congresswoman Jackson Lee achieved a remarkable legislative record in the Congress for Houston and for our country. As a powerful voice for our Constitution and human rights, she fought tirelessly to advance fairness, equity and justice for all.

“All of us in the House Democratic Caucus were blessed to know congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and we will miss her dearly,” she said.

It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of my dear friend and colleague Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.

Congresswoman Jackson Lee achieved a remarkable legislative record in the Congress for Houston and for our country. As a powerful voice for our Constitution… pic.twitter.com/5tcfaTaDOb

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 20, 2024

“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of my friend and colleague Sheila Jackson Lee. She was a tireless advocate for Houston. I will always cherish our friendship and the laughs we shared throughout the years. Heidi and I offer our prayers and sincerest condolences to her family,” wrote Mr Cruz.

I’m deeply saddened by the passing of my friend & colleague Sheila Jackson Lee.

She was a tireless advocate for Houston.

I will always cherish our friendship & the laughs we shared throughout the years.

Heidi & I offer our prayers and sincerest condolences to her family. pic.twitter.com/SGZhFQ8rHk

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 20, 2024

A proud Democratic stalwart in a conservative bastion, Jackson Lee’s Twitter account was active just hours before her death. Her final statements were a rousing condemnation of Donald Trump’s speech to the RNC in Milwaukee on Thursday.

“I have no idea what Donald Trump was talking about last night,” read a post dated Thursday evening after Trump’s speech wrapped up. “For more than an hour, he rambled and lied. He is unfit for the presidency! Now, my friends, is the time to focus on beating him and his Project 2025 monstrosity. Enough is enough!”

Jackson Lee was a graduate of Yale, and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School. During her study at Yale she was classmates with several other future fixtures of US political life, including Dr Ben and wife Candy Carson, as well as Henry Louis Gates.

In Congress, she was a leader in the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus, as well as chief deputy whip for her party at large.

As a legislator, she carved out a progressive reputation, even at the cost of being a lone figure on some issues. She was an early opponent of the Iraq war, and championed legislation calling for reparations to Black descendants of enslaved Africans brought to the US as part of the intercontinental slave trade prior to the Civil War.

“Cecilia and I will forever remember congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee,” Texas governor Greg Abbott, a conservative, wrote on Friday evening. "She was a proud Texan and a tireless advocate for the people of Houston. Her legacy of public service and dedication to Texas will live on.”