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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The life and achievements of the Honorable José |
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Tomás Canales, a former state representative and civil rights |
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trailblazer, are being honored on the 100th anniversary of his |
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landmark 1919 investigation of the Texas Rangers; and |
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WHEREAS, Born into a prominent Nueces County ranching family |
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in 1877, J. T. Canales earned his law degree from the University of |
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Michigan; from 1900 to 1903, he practiced in Corpus Christi and |
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Laredo before settling in Brownsville, where he spent the next two |
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decades as a lawyer and a public official; and |
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WHEREAS, In addition to serving as superintendent of the |
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Cameron County public schools and as a county judge, Mr. Canales |
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spent five terms as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, |
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holding office from 1905 to 1911 and from 1917 to 1921; the only |
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Hispanic state representative at the time, he provided an important |
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voice for the diverse populations living in the Lower Rio Grande |
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Valley; and |
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WHEREAS, One of Representative Canales's most notable |
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accomplishments was his 1919 investigation into the Texas Rangers |
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for their actions during the 1910s, in particular the massacre of 15 |
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unarmed ethnic Mexican men and boys; the Canales Investigation, as |
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it became known, shined a light on the excessive violence carried |
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out by the Rangers against residents of Mexican descent, which |
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resulted in as many as 5,000 deaths between 1914 and 1919; though he |
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faced opposition and death threats for his efforts, Representative |
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Canales outlined numerous instances of misconduct by members of the |
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law enforcement agency, and the investigation ultimately resulted |
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in the force being reorganized and reduced in number; and |
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WHEREAS, Representative Canales decided not to seek |
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reelection in 1920 and retired from state office, but he remained |
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active in Hispanic civil rights initiatives; he was integral to the |
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founding of the League of United Latin American Citizens, and he |
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served as Brownsville city attorney and chaired the Texas Council |
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on Human Rights; a lifelong believer in the importance of |
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accessible, high-quality education, he wrote numerous articles and |
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books about Mexican American history and the development of South |
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Texas; he passed away in Brownsville on March 30, 1976, at the age |
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of 99; and |
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WHEREAS, J. T. Canales was a pioneering figure in the |
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struggle for social justice in the Lone Star State, and his vision |
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and leadership remain a continuing source of inspiration; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the legacy of José Tomás Canales |
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and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canales Investigation. |