Henry B. González: Difference between revisions

==Life and career==

González was born in [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]], the son of Mexican-born parents Genoveva (née Barbosa) and Leonides Gonzalez (from Mapimi, Durango), who had immigrated during the [[Mexican Revolution]].<ref>http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/reps/gonzalez.htm</ref> He attended [[San Antonio College]] and the [[University of Texas at Austin]], earning his undergraduate degree. Later, he received a [[Juris Doctor]] from [[St. Mary's University School of Law]]. Upon graduation, he became a probation officer, and was quickly promoted to the chief office of [[Bexar County, Texas]]. In 1950, he was [[Scoutmaster]] of Troop 90 of San Antonio,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.sa-troop90.org |title= San Antonio, Troop 90 |author= |date= |work= |publisher= |accessdate=2010-06-30}}</ref> of which his [[Charlie Gonzalez|son]] was a member.<ref>{{cite speech | title = 2010 Hispanic Leadership Awards | author = [[Charlie Gonzalez]] | first = Charlie | last = Gonzalez | authorlink = National Capital Area Council | date = 2010-06-30 | location = Washington, D.C. | url = | accessdate = 2010-06-30}}</ref>

González served on the San Antonio City Council from 1953 to 1956, when he was elected to the [[Texas Senate]], having defeated the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate, Jesse Oppenheimer.<ref name=bcrh>{{cite web|url=http://www.bexargop.org/history.php|title=Bexar County Republican History|publisher=bexargop.org|accessdate=May 19, 2012}}</ref> He remained in the Senate until 1961 and set the filibuster record in the chamber at the time<ref>The record was surpassed in 1977 by Senator [[Bill Meier]] of [[Tarrant County, Texas|Tarrant County]].</ref> by speaking for twenty-two straight hours against a set of bills on [[Racial segregation|segregation]]. Most of the bills were abandoned (eight out of ten). He ran for [[Governor of Texas|governor]] in 1958, finishing second in the Democratic [[primary election|primary]] (the real contest for governor in what was then a solidly Democratic state) to [[Price Daniel]]. In January 1961, González ran in the special election for [[Lyndon Johnson]]'s [[United States Senate|Senate]] seat, finishing sixth. However, in September, 20th District Rep. [[Paul J. Kilday]] was appointed to the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces|Court of Military Appeals]]. González ran in the special election for the San Antonio-based district in November and defeated a strong [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidate, John Goode.<ref name=bcrh/> However, Gonzalez would never face another contest nearly that close. He was unopposed for a full term in 1962 and was reelected seventeen times. He never faced truly serious or well-funded opposition, having been unopposed in 1970, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, and 1984. In fact, the 20th was (and still is) so heavily Democratic that González faced Republican opposition only five times and handily won each time.

González became known for his liberal views. In 1963, Republican congressman [[Ed Foreman]] called González a "[[communist]]" and a "[[pinko]]" and González confronted him. González was referred to as a "communist" in 1986 by a man at [[Earl Abel's]] restaurant, a popular San Antonio eatery. The 70-year-old representative responded by punching him in the face. González was acquitted of assault for this incident.

González chaired the [[United States House Select Committee on Assassinations]] that investigated the deaths of [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]] He introduced legislation calling for the [[impeachment]] of [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[George H. W. Bush]]. González also blocked hearings into [[Whitewater controversy|Whitewater]] until finally agreeing to hold hearings in 1994. In 1997, González fell ill and was unable to return to the House for over a year. Finally, he decided not to run for a 19th full term in 1998. He had long groomed his son, [[Charlie Gonzalez|Charlie]], to succeed him. Charlie Gonzalez won easily in 1998 and served through January 2013; between them, father and son served 52 consecutive years in Congress.

He was an outspoken critic of the [[Federal Reserve System]] and in 1993 proposed an audit of the central bank.

According to Gretchen Morgenson's book on the 2008 financial meltdown, "Reckless Endangerment," while head of the House Banking Committee, Gonzalez invited the organization [[Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now|ACORN]] "to help legislators define the goals when they were devising the new legislation covering Fannie and Freddie."