Monday, May 29th, 2006
End of an Era
Congressman J. J. "Jake" Pickle died on Saturday following a long bout with prostate cancer. The Austin Democrat (originally from the West Texas town of Roscoe) was best known for helping LBJ pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (along with several other measures that JFK tried and failed to get passed) and the Social Security Reform Act of 1983. Additionally, he helped found local radio station KVET.
As my congressman during my formative years, I must say that I could not have asked for a better person to represent me in the years prior to my political awakening. He wasn’t perfect (no one ever is), but you could tell that he cared for his constituents.
My congressman in the years since Pickle’s retirement in 1994 (until the unfortunate redistricting fiasco), Lloyd Doggett, was clearly influenced by Pickle’s desire to fight on behalf of all his constituents.
(See original post on the old blog here - originally posted Jun. 21, 2005 4:30 AM)
