Texas HR 140: Paying tribute to the legacy of former state representative José Tomás Canales and commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Canales Investigation.

Bill Text

By:AACanales H.R.ANo.A140
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The life and achievements of the Honorable Jos ̄
Tom ̃s Canales, a former state representative and civil rights
trailblazer, are being honored on the 100th anniversary of his
landmark 1919 investigation of the Texas Rangers; and
WHEREAS, Born into a prominent Nueces County ranching family
in 1877, J.AT.ACanales earned his law degree from the University of
Michigan; from 1900 to 1903, he practiced in Corpus Christi and
Laredo before settling in Brownsville, where he spent the next two
decades as a lawyer and a public official; and
WHEREAS, In addition to serving as superintendent of the
Cameron County public schools and as a county judge, Mr.ACanales
spent five terms as a member of the Texas House of Representatives,
holding office from 1905 to 1911 and from 1917 to 1921; the only
Hispanic state representative at the time, he provided an important
voice for the diverse populations living in the Lower Rio Grande
Valley; and
WHEREAS, One of Representative Canales’s most notable
accomplishments was his 1919 investigation into the Texas Rangers
for their actions during the 1910s, in particular the massacre of 15
unarmed ethnic Mexican men and boys; the Canales Investigation, as
it became known, shined a light on the excessive violence carried
out by the Rangers against residents of Mexican descent, which
resulted in as many as 5,000 deaths between 1914 and 1919; though he
faced opposition and death threats for his efforts, Representative
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Canales outlined numerous instances of misconduct by members of the
law enforcement agency, and the investigation ultimately resulted
in the force being reorganized and reduced in number; and
WHEREAS, Representative Canales decided not to seek
reelection in 1920 and retired from state office, but he remained
active in Hispanic civil rights initiatives; he was integral to the
founding of the League of United Latin American Citizens, and he
served as Brownsville city attorney and chaired the Texas Council
on Human Rights; a lifelong believer in the importance of
accessible, high-quality education, he wrote numerous articles and
books about Mexican American history and the development of South
Texas; he passed away in Brownsville on March 30, 1976, at the age
of 99; and
WHEREAS, J.AT.ACanales was a pioneering figure in the
struggle for social justice in the Lone Star State, and his vision
and leadership remain a continuing source of inspiration; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the legacy of Jos ̄ Tom ̃s Canales
and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Canales Investigation.
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H.R.ANo.A140
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