Lena Guerrero

Lena Guerrero
Railroad Commissioner of Texas
In office
January 23, 1991 – October 1, 1992[1]
GovernorAnn Richards
Preceded byJohn Sharp
Succeeded byJim Wallace
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 51st district
In office
January 8, 1985 – January 4, 1991
Preceded byGonzalo Barrientos
Succeeded byGlen Maxey
Personal details
Born(1957-11-27)November 27, 1957
Mission, Texas, U.S.
DiedApril 24, 2008(2008-04-24) (aged 50)
Austin, Texas, U.S.
Resting placeTexas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Lionel "Leo" Aguirre
​
​
(m. 1983)​
Children1
OccupationLobbyist

Lena Guerrero Aguirre (November 27, 1957 – April 24, 2008) was a Texas political figure who served in the Texas House of Representatives, and was later the first woman and first non-white member of the Texas Railroad Commission,[2] which regulates the oil and natural gas industry. Her political career ended in 1992 over a falsified résumé scandal.

In the 1960s, Guerrero and her siblings were migrant workers.[3] She attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she was president of the Young Democrats of Texas.[4][3] She was elected to the Texas House, and appointed to a vacant seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, but when she ran for reelection to the seat it was discovered that she had falsely claimed to have graduated from UT.[4][5]

She died of brain cancer at the age of fifty.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Railroad Commissioners Past through Present". www.rrc.texas.gov. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  2. ^ http://www.hermana.org/organization/lasprim.htm MANA History
  3. ^ a b Lena Guerrero: Texas Monthly September 2001
  4. ^ a b c Lena Guerrero, once a rising star in Texas politics, dies after battling cancer Archived 2008-04-30 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Suro, Roberto (12 October 1992). "Lie by Texas Politician Puts Twist in Campaign (Published 1992)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-07-22.
Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from District 51 (Austin)
1985–1991 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Texas Railroad Commissioner
1991–1992 		Succeeded by
Jim Wallace (temporary)
Barry Williamson (full-term)