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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Fifty years ago this session, Thomas J. Lee of San |
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Antonio became the first Asian American to serve in the Texas |
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Legislature; and |
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WHEREAS, A native of Canton, China, Tom Lee moved to the |
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United States with his family at the age of eight; he grew up on San |
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Antonio's West Side, where he learned to speak English and Spanish |
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as well as Cantonese; during World War II, he was the first officer |
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of Chinese descent to serve in the U.S. Navy, and after the war he |
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remained active in the navy reserve at the rank of lieutenant |
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commander; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Lee studied at The University of Texas at |
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Austin, the University of Notre Dame, and St. Mary's University, |
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where he earned a bachelor's degree in accounting in 1956 and a law |
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degree in 1960; he went on to become a successful attorney and |
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businessman in the Chinese community of San Antonio; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1964, Mr. Lee was elected to the Texas House of |
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Representatives, representing Bexar County in the 59th |
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Legislature; a Democrat, he served from 1965 until 1967, and he was |
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a member of the Insurance, Penitentiaries, and Revenue and Taxation |
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Committees, among others; he died in San Antonio on November 7, |
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1996, at the age of 73; and |
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WHEREAS, Through his service to the people of San Antonio and |
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the State of Texas, Tom Lee was a pioneer who helped open the door to |
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a more diverse and inclusive state legislature, and his legacy |
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continues to resonate to this day; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby pay tribute to the memory of the Honorable Thomas J. Lee, the |
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first Asian American to serve in the Texas Legislature. |