Known for his resilience in the political arena,
Ciro Rodriguez represented two Texas districts
in the U.S. House. In the Texas legislature and
in Congress, Rodriguez championed a variety of veterans’
issues and advocated for increased federal funding for
education. “The greatest equalizer is education,” he
observed. “We must ensure that our children have access
to the best education.”1 Convinced of the importance of
public service, Rodriguez continued to seek elective office
even after redistricting transformed his constituency.
Ciro D. Rodriguez was born in Piedras Negras, Mexico,
on December 9, 1946, to Luvin and Aurora (Davis)
Rodriguez. Before settling in Texas, the Rodriguez family
moved between Mexico and the United States, during
which time Rodriguez’s father worked on industrial
refrigeration units. After living in Eagle Pass, Texas, the
Rodriguezes settled in San Antonio in 1951. One of six
children, Ciro Rodriguez held a series of jobs, including
selling vegetables in his neighborhood, to help support
his family. When his mother passed away, Rodriguez
dropped out of high school at age 13 and worked at a gas
station. He returned to Harlandale High School, where he
graduated with his class in 1966. Rodriguez enrolled in San
Antonio College before attending St. Mary’s University in
San Antonio, where he earned a B.A. in political science
in 1973. Two years later he won a seat on the Harlandale
Independent School District Board and served until 1987.
In 1978 Rodriguez earned a master’s degree in social work
from Our Lady of the Lake University. He later worked
as an educational consultant and a county caseworker.
From 1987 to 1996, he returned to Our Lady of the
Lake University, where he taught at the Worden School
of Social Work. Rodriguez married Carolina Peña, an
elementary school teacher and a librarian; the couple had
one daughter, Xochil.2
In 1987 Rodriguez won election to the Texas house
of representatives. During his decade in the state house,
he sought to equalize funding between Texas school
districts and to promote employment through the private
redevelopment of San Antonio’s Kelly Air Force Base,
which was closed in 1995.3 When Representative Frank Tejeda succumbed to brain cancer shortly after being
sworn into the 105th Congress (1997–1999), Rodriguez
entered the March 1997 special election to fill the
vacant seat. “It’s comforting to see such a groundswell
of support and to know that our campaign will clearly
be the most aggressive grass-roots effort out there,”
Rodriguez remarked.4 Nine Democrats, five Republicans,
and an Independent entered the contest to represent the
predominantly Hispanic district, which stretched from
the southern half of San Antonio to the Mexican border.
Rodriguez and Democratic San Antonio councilman Juan
Solis quickly distanced themselves from the rest of the
pack.5 Rodriguez earned the backing of many influential
Democratic groups and politicians, but the heated
campaign was overshadowed by Tejeda’s untimely death.6
Forced into a runoff election since he failed to garner a
majority of the vote, Rodriguez easily defeated Solis, 67 to
33 percent.7 “It was a humbling experience, in all honesty,”
Rodriguez admitted.8
Sworn into Congress on April 17, 1997, Rodriguez,
like his predecessor, served on the Committee on National
Security (later named Armed Services) and Veterans’
Affairs. Both panels were a good fit for his district, which
included several military bases and thousands of active and
retired military personnel. During the 108th Congress
(2003–2005), Rodriguez also was assigned to the Resources
Committee and was elected chairman of the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus (CHC), at which time he vowed to make
education and health care his top priorities.9
In Congress, Rodriguez focused on a range of issues
that affected his constituents. A vocal supporter of
veterans, the Texas Representative advocated increased
educational opportunities and improved health care for
current and retired military personnel. Rodriguez also
fought to minimize job losses at Kelly Air Force Base by
converting its operation to the private sector, an initiative
he had backed as a state representative.10 Concerned about
the well-being of his constituents, he proposed tighter
security along the U.S.-Mexico border, with expanded law
enforcement authority. “Along the border we face a flood
of drugs, weapons and human smuggling in addition to
coping with illegal immigration,” Rodriguez said.11 The
Texas Representative also advocated a series of education
and health care initiatives for Hispanic Americans. In
his maiden speech on the House Floor, he expressed his
desire to improve the education system for all Americans.
“What is going to be the strength of this country is going
to be its people, and we need to invest in ourselves and
in our people,” Rodriguez observed.12 Recognizing his
commitment to education and his experience in the field,
the Democratic leadership in the 106th Congress (1999–2001) appointed him to a task force charged with drafting party strategy for education programs.13
After winning a seat in the 105th Congress, Rodriguez
faced minimal opposition in his first three bids for reelection,
earning more than 70 percent of the vote in each
contest.14 But redistricting in 2003 drastically changed
Rodriguez’s constituency; half the voters were new to the
district. In the Democratic primary, Rodriguez squared
off against a longtime ally, attorney and former Texas
secretary of state Henry Cuellar. While the newly drawn
district still encompassed southern San Antonio and
snaked south to the Mexican border, the addition of several
white suburbs east of San Antonio and the inclusion of
a substantial portion of Laredo, Cuellar’s hometown,
altered the composition of the district, making for a
competitive race.15 On election night, Rodriguez emerged
as the front-runner with a margin of 145 votes, but a
recount determined that Cuellar had narrowly bested the
incumbent.16 After a four-month battle that included a lawsuit and a second recount, Rodriguez lost the nomination
to Cuellar by 58 votes.17 In 2006 Rodriguez tried to
recapture his seat but lost to Cuellar, 40 to 53 percent.18
Rodriguez’s political fortunes received an unexpected
boost in the summer of 2006 after a Supreme Court
decision invalidated the boundaries of a district in
southwestern Texas on the grounds that the redistricting
violated the Voting Rights Act by decreasing the number
of Hispanic voters.19 Federal judges subsequently redrew
the district held by seven-term Republican incumbent
Henry Bonilla. Running along the Mexican border by the
Rio Grande River, the new district stretched from El Paso
to San Antonio. With the addition of more voters who
were Democratic and Hispanic, especially in his Bexar
County power base, Rodriguez entered the November
2006 election. He placed a distant second, capturing only
20 percent of the vote in the field of eight contenders, but
since Bonilla narrowly failed to secure a majority—with 49
percent of the vote—a runoff ensued. Rodriguez secured
the backing of local and national Democrats and pulled off
an upset, winning 54 percent of the vote.20 “It’s a totally
different ball game,” Rodriguez mused after his victory.
“Although my basic values haven’t changed, what changes
is that I am responding to views of different constituents.”21
In the 110th Congress (2007–2009), Rodriguez
received a spot on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. He
also secured a seat on the influential Appropriations
Committee and served on both panels through the 111th Congress (2009–2011). Rodriguez won his re-election bid
in 2008—by 56 to 42 percent—against Republican Lyle
Larson, a San Antonio county commissioner.22 Two years
later, he lost—44 to 49 percent—to Republican lawyer and
banker Francisco (Quico) Canseco in the general election
for the 112th Congress (2011–2013).23
View Record in the Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
[ Top ]
