Everybody in Texas knows about "Kika" de la Garza, the long-time Congressman from Mission, Texas who broke the color barrier when he was elected to Congress in 1964. Up to that time, politics in this heavily Hispanic area of Texas had been dominated by white men.
The statue is an 8-foot tall bronze likeness of Rep. de la Garza on a concrete plinth. He is standing in a relaxed pose, as if he were talking to one of his constituents. He is dressed in a suit and is smiling.
A plaque set catty-corner to the corner of the plinth reads as follows:
ELIGIO ‘KIKA’ DE LA GARZA II
Texas House of Representatives 1953-1964
U.S. Congress 1965-1997
Benefactors
City of Mission
Upper Valley Art league
University of Texas Pan American
Mr. & Mrs. Saul Marroquin
Douglas Clark
Benjamin Cavazos
De la Garza family
Magdiel Alfonso"
A brief biography of Rep. de la Garza from Wikipedia hits the high points of his ground-breaking career in politics, and how his work on behalf of his constituents in the Rio Grande Valley changed the country,m and the world: (
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"Eligio “Kika” de la Garza, II (born September 22, 1927 in Mercedes, Texas) was the Democratic representative for the 15th congressional district of Texas from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1997.
De la Garza grew up in Mission in Hidalgo County. At the age of seventeen, he entered the United States Navy and served for two years. De la Garza chose to continue his education at Edinburg Junior College and the United States Army Artillery School at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. For two years beginning in 1952, he was a lieutenant in the Army while deployed in the Korean War. After returning home, he completed his law degree at St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio. After having practiced law for several years in the Rio Grande Valley, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives.
While in the state House, de la Garza was famous for sponsoring much legislation in the fields of education and the environment. He authored bills to protect wetlands, create state-sponsored preschools, and more international bridges to Mexico. From 1955 to 1957, he was the only Hispanic member of the Texas House. He was joined in 1957 by a second Mexican American member, Oscar M. Laurel of Laredo, the seat of Webb County.
In 1965, de la Garza, a strong supporter of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, assumed his seat in Congress. From 1981 to 1994, he was the chairman of the Agricultural Committee, leading the way in passing bills that reorganized the agricultural lending system, the farm insurance system, the United States Department of Agriculture, and pesticide laws.
De la le Garza was also a civil rights supporter and called for smoother relations between the U.S. and Mexico. He worked to improve trade between the two nations and was critical in passing the legislation that enacted the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
De la Garza's nickname was made famous by Andy Rooney in the early days of his TV show as he referred to “Kiki de la Garza” as one of the names that stuck with him most. He resides in McAllen, Texas with his wife Lucille."