Henry Cuellar
Enrique Roberto "Henry" Cuellar (/ˈkweɪ.ɑːr/ KWAY-ar; born September 19, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 28th congressional district since 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His district extends from the Rio Grande to San Antonio's suburbs.
Henry Cuellar | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 28th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Ciro Rodriguez |
| 102nd Secretary of State of Texas | |
| In office January 2, 2001 – October 5, 2001 | |
| Governor | Rick Perry |
| Preceded by | Elton Bomer |
| Succeeded by | Geoff Connor (acting) |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives | |
| In office January 13, 1987 – January 2, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | W. N. Hall |
| Succeeded by | Richard Raymond |
| Constituency | 43rd district (1987–1993) 42nd district (1993–2001) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Enrique Roberto Cuellar September 19, 1955 Laredo, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Imelda Cuellar |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Laredo Community College (AA) Georgetown University (BSFS) University of Texas at Austin (JD, PhD) Texas A&M International University (MA) Naval War College |
| Website | House website |
Cuellar served in the Texas House of Representatives for 14 years, from 1987 to 2001, and briefly served as the Texas Secretary of State in 2001, making him, as of 2024, the most recent Democrat to have held a statewide office in Texas.
Cuellar was first elected to Congress in 2004, after defeating incumbent Ciro Rodriguez in a primary challenge. He is considered a leading centrist within the House Democratic Caucus. He has since been comfortably reelected in every general election while surviving a number of competitive primary races, most notably in 2020 and 2022.