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Esteban Torres

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Esteban Torres
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 34th district
In office
January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1999
Preceded byDan Lungren
Succeeded byGrace Napolitano
Personal details
BornEsteban Edward Torres
(1930-01-27)January 27, 1930
Miami, Arizona, U.S.
DiedJanuary 25, 2022(2022-01-25) (aged 91)
PartyDemocratic
SpouseArcy Sanchez
Children4
EducationEast Los Angeles College (attended)
California State University, Los Angeles (BA)
University of Maryland, College Park (attended)
American University (attended)
Military service
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service
1949–1953
RankSergeant First Class
Battles/warsKorean War

Esteban Edward Torres (January 27, 1930 – January 25, 2022) was an American politician who served as member of the United States House of Representatives for California's 34th congressional district from 1983 to 1999.[1]

Early life and education

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Torres was born in Miami, Arizona, to parents from Mexico. He was raised in East Los Angeles, California mostly by his mother, Rena Gómez. His father was a miner, but was deported to Mexico during the Mexican Repatriation of the 1930s.[2][3] He graduated from East Los Angeles College and California State University, Los Angeles, and later took graduate courses at the University of Maryland, College Park, and American University.[2][4]

Career

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He served in the United States Army from 1949 to 1953. Torres came up through the United Auto Workers, ultimately serving as the international representative of UAW 1964-68 in Washington, DC. In addition to being active in the labor movement, he was appointed United States Ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Paris, France, from 1977 to 1979 and served as a special assistant to President Jimmy Carter from 1979 to 1981.[1]

Congress

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Torres was unsuccessful in his attempt to win a seat in the House of Representatives in 1974, but was elected in 1982 as a Democrat. He served from 1983 until 1999. During his time in office, he prioritized issue related to Hispanics, and in 1986 he played a key role in the development and passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act.[4]

He did not run for reelection in 1998 and was succeeded by Democrat Grace Napolitano.

Later life

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He served as a member of the California Transportation Commission[5] from 1997 to 2007.

Personal life and death

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Torres and his wife, Arcy Sanchez, had four children. He died on January 25, 2022, two days shy of his 92nd birthday.[2]

Legacy and awards

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Electoral history

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Esteban Torres electoral history
1982 United States House of Representatives elections in California[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Esteban Torres 68,316 57.2
Republican Paul R. Jackson 51,026 42.8
Total votes 119,342 100.0
Democratic hold
1984 United States House of Representatives elections in California[9]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Esteban Torres (Incumbent) 87,060 59.8
Republican Paul R. Jackson 58,467 40.2
Total votes 145,527 100.0
Democratic hold
1986 United States House of Representatives elections in California[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Esteban Torres (Incumbent) 66,404 60.3
Republican Charles M. House 43,659 39.7
Total votes 110,063 100.0
Democratic hold
1988 United States House of Representatives elections in California[11]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Esteban Torres (Incumbent) 92,087 63.2
Republican Charles M. House 50,954 35.0
Libertarian Carl M. "Marty" Swinney 2,686 1.8
Total votes 145,727 100.0
Democratic hold
1990 United States House of Representatives elections in California[12]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Esteban Torres (Incumbent) 55,646 60.7
Republican John C. Eastman 36,024 39.3
Total votes 91,670 100.0
Democratic hold
1992 United States House of Representatives elections in California[13]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Esteban Torres (Incumbent) 91,738 61.3
Republican J. Jay Hernandez 50,907 34.0
Libertarian Carl M. "Marty" Swinney 7,072 4.7
Independent M V Paul Worland (write-in) 1 0.0
Total votes 149,718 100.0
Democratic hold
1994 United States House of Representatives elections in California[14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Esteban Torres (Incumbent) 72,439 61.7
Republican Albert J. Nunez 40,068 34.1
Libertarian Carl M. "Marty" Swinney 4,921 4.2
American Independent J. Scott (write-in) 27 0.0
Total votes 117,455 100.0
Democratic hold
1996 United States House of Representatives elections in California[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Esteban Torres (Incumbent) 94,730 68.5
Republican David Nunez 36,852 26.7
American Independent J. Scott 4,122 2.9
Libertarian David Argall 2,736 1.9
Total votes 138,440 100.0
Democratic hold

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 "Esteban Torres". Hispanic Americans in Congress. Library of Congress. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Seelye, Katharine Q. (January 29, 2022). "Esteban Torres, Congressional Advocate for Latinos, Dies at 91". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  3. ↑ Sierra, José Luis (November 12, 2004). "Chopped Lives". La Opinion. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
  4. 1 2 Vives, Ruben (January 27, 2022). "Esteban Torres, longtime L.A. congressman who championed Latino rights, dies at 91". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Commissioners". California Transportation Commission (CTC). Archived from the original on September 7, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2006.
  6. ↑ "National Directory of Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships for Latino Youth" (PDF). CHCI: 82. 2002. Retrieved April 22, 2015. The Esteban E. Torres Fellowship, a fellowship for Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government
  7. ↑ "Honorary Degrees". Whittier College. 2001.
  8. ↑ 1982 election results
  9. ↑ 1984 election results
  10. ↑ 1986 election results
  11. ↑ 1988 election results
  12. ↑ 1990 election results
  13. ↑ 1992 election results
  14. ↑ 1994 election results
  15. ↑ 1996 election results
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