Former Rep, Railroad Commissioner Lena Guerrero Dies
Represented Austin in her twenties and thirties; only 50 years old at time of death.
By Lee Nichols, 2:39PM, Thu. Apr. 24, 2008
Lena Guerrero, a former Austin state representative and later a member of the Texas Railroad Commission, died last night at the age of 50. In recent years, Guerrero had surgery to remove malignant brain tumors.
Guerrero was elected to the House in 1984 at only 26 years of age and represented Dist. 51 (southeastern Travis County) until 1991. Gov. Ann Richards then appointed her to the Railroad Commission in 1991 and she appeared to be a rising political star, but her career was derailed when she admitted that she had lied about having a degree from the University of Texas. Guerrero went on to be a lobbyist.
No word on services yet; Guerrero has a plot reserved in the Texas State Cemetery in East Austin.
UPDATE: For more on the life of Guerrero, I highly recommend this wonderful, touching story from the September 2001 edition of Texas Monthly.
UPDATE 2: Also from Texas Monthly, Paul Burka's blog has an interesting reflection on her career.
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