Block, Upload, Automoderated users, edit, move, protect, rollback
57,799
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
{{Infobox officeholder
| name=Jose Antonio "Joe" Guerra, Sr.
| image=
| nationality=[[United States|American]]
| office= Member of the City Council<br>
of [[Laredo]] [[Texas]]
| party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]
| term_start=District 4 1970
| term_end=1982
| preceded=E. F. Pena
| succeeded=David R. Cortez
| term_start2=District 6 1994
| term_end2=2002
| preceded2=Eduardo Perales
| succeeded2=Gene Belmares
| birth_date=July 9, 1934
| death_date=September 15, 2010 (aged 76)
| birth_place=Laredo, Texas
| death_place=Laredo, Texas
| resting_place=Cremated
| occupation=[[Business]]man
| spouse= Josefina "Josie" Flores Guerra (married 1961-2010, his death)
| children=Joe A. Guerra, Jr.<br>
Rebecca G. Doyle<br>
Dr. Maya G. Zuniga<br>
Alfonso Gerardo Guerra<br>
Alfredo Tomas Guerra<br>
Carlos Luis Guerra<br>
Monica G. Jones<br>
Maria Eugenia Guerra<br>
Eleven grandchildren
| religion=[[Roman Catholic]]
| alma_mater=Martin High School (Laredo, Texas)<br>
St. Mary's University in [[San Antonio]], Texas
|footnotes=
}}
'''Jose Antonio Guerra, Sr.''' (July 9, 1934 – September 15, 2010), known as '''Joe A. Guerra''', was a [[business]]man and a [[Republican Party|Republican]] political activist in the heavily [[Democratic Party)|Democratic]] city of [[Laredo, Texas|Laredo]], [[Texas]. He served for twenty nonconsecutive years from two districts on the Laredo City Council,<ref name=kgns>{{cite web|url=http://www.pro8news.com/news/Joe-Guerra-passes-away-103005054.html|title=Former City Councilman and local businessman Joe Guerra passes awa|date=September 15, 2010|publisher=Pro8news.com|accessdate=September 18, 2010}}</ref> during which time he worked for the extension of Del Mar Boulevard to the interstate Loop 20, named for former Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock.
==Background==
Guerra was born in Laredo to Jose Margarito Guerra (1904–2001) and the former Josefina Valls (1913–1998). He attended [[Roman Catholic]] elementary schools and graduated in 1953 from|Martin High Schoo]. In 1957, he graduated from[St. Mary's University in [[San Antonio]], with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[chemistry]] and a minor in business.<ref name=bonilla/> He then joined the family enterprises, Laredo Motor Mart and Laredo Auto Parts. In 1972, Guerra opened a longstanding [[Exxon]] station (replaced by a convenience store in 2001) at the busy intersection of San Dario, the Interstate 35 service road, and Del Mar Boulevard. Thereafter, he began a second self-service station at the intersection of Guadalupe and Meadow in The Heights section of Laredo which he still managed at the time of his death.<ref name=obit/>
==Political career==
In 1964, Guerra joined the Republican Party. In 1978, he was the Webb County chairman of the [[Bill Clements]] [[Governor|gubernatorial]] campaign, when the Republican nominee, the first of his party to be elected governor since 1869, defeated the Democrat John Luke Hill, the former state attorney general, to claim the state's top constitutional office. He supported [[George Herbert Walker Bush]] for [[U.S. President]] in 1988 and 1992. Guerra later worked to elect [[George W. Bush]] as governor and [[U.S. President]]. He also campaigned for the former Republican [[U.S. Representative]] for House District 23, Henry Bonilla, then of San
Antonio,<ref name=bonilla>Henry Bonilla, "In Honor of Mr. Joe A. Guerra", 'The Congressional Record'', October 5, 2000.</ref> who served as the Laredo-area representative from 1993 to 2007, having never carried Webb County a single time in seven elections.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Texas congressional election returns, 1992-2004.</ref>
Guerra's city council service spanned two types of municipal government in Laredo. Effective with the 1982 elections, when Guerra did not seek reelection, the city changed from [[mayor-council government]] to the [[city manager]] format. He joined the council in 1970 from the downtown District 4 and served twelve consecutive years. His last two terms were in the Del Mar District 6 from 1994-2002.<ref>Confirmed by the Laredo city secretary</ref> In his last term he was the dean of the council and the mayor pro tempore. He served on a city/county government consolidation plan, but the two entities have remained separate and not been merged.<ref name=bonilla/>
Despite his visibility as a Laredo Republican, Guerra was never elected to the city council as a Republican because under Texas law all municipal offices are [[nonpartisan]]. However, in 2002, several months after he had left the council, he ran as a Republican for the partisan office of county treasurer to succeed the late [[Billy Hall (Texas politician)|Billy Hall]], a former [[Texas House of Representatives|state representative]], but he was handily defeated in the [[general election]] by the Democratic nominee, Delia Perales,<ref>''Laredo Morning Times'', November 6, 2002, p. 1</ref> who still holds the position. In 2000, Guerra led the [[Pledge of Allegiance (United States)|Pledge of Allegiance]] at a session of the [[Republican National Convention]] in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], which nominatedin 2000 nominated the [[George W. Bush|Bush]]-[[Dick Cheney|Cheney]] ticket. On October 5, 2000, Guerra was honored for his dedication to public service on the floor of the [[United States House of Representatives]] by then Representative Henry Bonilla.<ref name=obit>Joe A. Guerra obituary, ''[[Laredo Morning Times]]'', September 17, 2010, p. 11A</ref> Guerra's convention role was highlighted the next day in a front-page photograph in the ''[[Laredo Morning Times]]''.<ref name=arambula>[[Odie Arambula]], "The Exxon Joe Guerra," ''Laredo Morning Times'', September 20, 2010, p. 4A.</ref>
His city council service corresponded with the tenure of each of four consecutive Laredo mayors, J. C. "Pepe" Martin, Jr., Aldo Tatangelo, Saul N. Ramirez, Jr., and Betty Flores. The interstate loop, on which Flores and Guerra worked together, was finished while Guerra was still a council member.<ref name=zlindsey>Zach Lindsey, "Ex-City Councilman Joe Guerra, 76, dies," ''Laredo Morning Times'', September 16, 2010, pp. 1, 11A.</ref> Guerra was also a key supporter of Mayor Tatangelo's massive street-paving project, which began on an experimental basis in the San Ignacio neighborhood at Tatangelo's personal expense during the last Martin administration. Prior to the Tatangelo program, most of Laredo's streets were unpaved.<ref name=bonilla/><ref>[[Bill Moyers]], "You Can Beat City Hall:, ''CBS Reports'', April 1978.</ref>
==Personal life==
On December 27, 1961, Guerra married Rebeca Josefina "Josie" Flores (August 27, 1938 – April 30, 2013), who later became an active figure in the [[pro-life]] movement. They had eight children: Joe A.Guerra, Jr., Rebecca G. Doyle, Dr. Maya G. Zuniga, Alfonso Gerardo Guerra, Alfredo Tomas Guerra, Carlos Luis Guerra, Monica G. Jones, and Maria Eugenia "Eugie" Guerra. Guerra had eleven grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.<ref name=obit/> Guerra was a eucharistic minister and lector at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church and his mother church, St. Peter the Apostle.<ref name=obit/>
==Death and legacy==
Guerra died suddenly in Laredo of a heart attack<ref name=kgns/> at the age of seventy-six. He was [[cremation|cremated]].<ref name=obit/>
On July 22, 2016, nearly six years after Guerra's passing, the City of Laredo named in Guerra's honor the main public library at McPherson and Calton roads. Council member Roque Vela, who first proposed that the structure be named for Guerra, described Guerra as "someone I looked up to for his unwavering commitment to public service. I am especially proud to know that the library and reading were passions of Mr. Guerra."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lmtonline.com/front-news/article_de52b832-5065-11e6-8bfc-2fa436572485.html|title=Laredo Public Library renamed after former city councilman|author=Judith Rayo|publisher=''The Laredo Morning Times''|date=July 22, 2016|accessdate=July 24, 2016}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerra, Joe A.}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Former Democrats]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Catholicss]]
Created page with " {{Infobox officeholder | name=Jose Antonio "Joe" Guerra, Sr. | image= | nationality=American | office= Member of the City Council<br> of Laredo [[Texas]..."
{{Infobox officeholder
| name=Jose Antonio "Joe" Guerra, Sr.
| image=
| nationality=[[United States|American]]
| office= Member of the City Council<br>
of [[Laredo]] [[Texas]]
| party=[[Republican Party|Republican]]
| term_start=District 4 1970
| term_end=1982
| preceded=E. F. Pena
| succeeded=David R. Cortez
| term_start2=District 6 1994
| term_end2=2002
| preceded2=Eduardo Perales
| succeeded2=Gene Belmares
| birth_date=July 9, 1934
| death_date=September 15, 2010 (aged 76)
| birth_place=Laredo, Texas
| death_place=Laredo, Texas
| resting_place=Cremated
| occupation=[[Business]]man
| spouse= Josefina "Josie" Flores Guerra (married 1961-2010, his death)
| children=Joe A. Guerra, Jr.<br>
Rebecca G. Doyle<br>
Dr. Maya G. Zuniga<br>
Alfonso Gerardo Guerra<br>
Alfredo Tomas Guerra<br>
Carlos Luis Guerra<br>
Monica G. Jones<br>
Maria Eugenia Guerra<br>
Eleven grandchildren
| religion=[[Roman Catholic]]
| alma_mater=Martin High School (Laredo, Texas)<br>
St. Mary's University in [[San Antonio]], Texas
|footnotes=
}}
'''Jose Antonio Guerra, Sr.''' (July 9, 1934 – September 15, 2010), known as '''Joe A. Guerra''', was a [[business]]man and a [[Republican Party|Republican]] political activist in the heavily [[Democratic Party)|Democratic]] city of [[Laredo, Texas|Laredo]], [[Texas]. He served for twenty nonconsecutive years from two districts on the Laredo City Council,<ref name=kgns>{{cite web|url=http://www.pro8news.com/news/Joe-Guerra-passes-away-103005054.html|title=Former City Councilman and local businessman Joe Guerra passes awa|date=September 15, 2010|publisher=Pro8news.com|accessdate=September 18, 2010}}</ref> during which time he worked for the extension of Del Mar Boulevard to the interstate Loop 20, named for former Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock.
==Background==
Guerra was born in Laredo to Jose Margarito Guerra (1904–2001) and the former Josefina Valls (1913–1998). He attended [[Roman Catholic]] elementary schools and graduated in 1953 from|Martin High Schoo]. In 1957, he graduated from[St. Mary's University in [[San Antonio]], with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[chemistry]] and a minor in business.<ref name=bonilla/> He then joined the family enterprises, Laredo Motor Mart and Laredo Auto Parts. In 1972, Guerra opened a longstanding [[Exxon]] station (replaced by a convenience store in 2001) at the busy intersection of San Dario, the Interstate 35 service road, and Del Mar Boulevard. Thereafter, he began a second self-service station at the intersection of Guadalupe and Meadow in The Heights section of Laredo which he still managed at the time of his death.<ref name=obit/>
==Political career==
In 1964, Guerra joined the Republican Party. In 1978, he was the Webb County chairman of the [[Bill Clements]] [[Governor|gubernatorial]] campaign, when the Republican nominee, the first of his party to be elected governor since 1869, defeated the Democrat John Luke Hill, the former state attorney general, to claim the state's top constitutional office. He supported [[George Herbert Walker Bush]] for [[U.S. President]] in 1988 and 1992. Guerra later worked to elect [[George W. Bush]] as governor and [[U.S. President]]. He also campaigned for the former Republican [[U.S. Representative]] for House District 23, Henry Bonilla, then of San
Antonio,<ref name=bonilla>Henry Bonilla, "In Honor of Mr. Joe A. Guerra", 'The Congressional Record'', October 5, 2000.</ref> who served as the Laredo-area representative from 1993 to 2007, having never carried Webb County a single time in seven elections.<ref>Texas Secretary of State, Texas congressional election returns, 1992-2004.</ref>
Guerra's city council service spanned two types of municipal government in Laredo. Effective with the 1982 elections, when Guerra did not seek reelection, the city changed from [[mayor-council government]] to the [[city manager]] format. He joined the council in 1970 from the downtown District 4 and served twelve consecutive years. His last two terms were in the Del Mar District 6 from 1994-2002.<ref>Confirmed by the Laredo city secretary</ref> In his last term he was the dean of the council and the mayor pro tempore. He served on a city/county government consolidation plan, but the two entities have remained separate and not been merged.<ref name=bonilla/>
Despite his visibility as a Laredo Republican, Guerra was never elected to the city council as a Republican because under Texas law all municipal offices are [[nonpartisan]]. However, in 2002, several months after he had left the council, he ran as a Republican for the partisan office of county treasurer to succeed the late [[Billy Hall (Texas politician)|Billy Hall]], a former [[Texas House of Representatives|state representative]], but he was handily defeated in the [[general election]] by the Democratic nominee, Delia Perales,<ref>''Laredo Morning Times'', November 6, 2002, p. 1</ref> who still holds the position. In 2000, Guerra led the [[Pledge of Allegiance (United States)|Pledge of Allegiance]] at a session of the [[Republican National Convention]] in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], which nominatedin 2000 nominated the [[George W. Bush|Bush]]-[[Dick Cheney|Cheney]] ticket. On October 5, 2000, Guerra was honored for his dedication to public service on the floor of the [[United States House of Representatives]] by then Representative Henry Bonilla.<ref name=obit>Joe A. Guerra obituary, ''[[Laredo Morning Times]]'', September 17, 2010, p. 11A</ref> Guerra's convention role was highlighted the next day in a front-page photograph in the ''[[Laredo Morning Times]]''.<ref name=arambula>[[Odie Arambula]], "The Exxon Joe Guerra," ''Laredo Morning Times'', September 20, 2010, p. 4A.</ref>
His city council service corresponded with the tenure of each of four consecutive Laredo mayors, J. C. "Pepe" Martin, Jr., Aldo Tatangelo, Saul N. Ramirez, Jr., and Betty Flores. The interstate loop, on which Flores and Guerra worked together, was finished while Guerra was still a council member.<ref name=zlindsey>Zach Lindsey, "Ex-City Councilman Joe Guerra, 76, dies," ''Laredo Morning Times'', September 16, 2010, pp. 1, 11A.</ref> Guerra was also a key supporter of Mayor Tatangelo's massive street-paving project, which began on an experimental basis in the San Ignacio neighborhood at Tatangelo's personal expense during the last Martin administration. Prior to the Tatangelo program, most of Laredo's streets were unpaved.<ref name=bonilla/><ref>[[Bill Moyers]], "You Can Beat City Hall:, ''CBS Reports'', April 1978.</ref>
==Personal life==
On December 27, 1961, Guerra married Rebeca Josefina "Josie" Flores (August 27, 1938 – April 30, 2013), who later became an active figure in the [[pro-life]] movement. They had eight children: Joe A.Guerra, Jr., Rebecca G. Doyle, Dr. Maya G. Zuniga, Alfonso Gerardo Guerra, Alfredo Tomas Guerra, Carlos Luis Guerra, Monica G. Jones, and Maria Eugenia "Eugie" Guerra. Guerra had eleven grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.<ref name=obit/> Guerra was a eucharistic minister and lector at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church and his mother church, St. Peter the Apostle.<ref name=obit/>
==Death and legacy==
Guerra died suddenly in Laredo of a heart attack<ref name=kgns/> at the age of seventy-six. He was [[cremation|cremated]].<ref name=obit/>
On July 22, 2016, nearly six years after Guerra's passing, the City of Laredo named in Guerra's honor the main public library at McPherson and Calton roads. Council member Roque Vela, who first proposed that the structure be named for Guerra, described Guerra as "someone I looked up to for his unwavering commitment to public service. I am especially proud to know that the library and reading were passions of Mr. Guerra."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lmtonline.com/front-news/article_de52b832-5065-11e6-8bfc-2fa436572485.html|title=Laredo Public Library renamed after former city councilman|author=Judith Rayo|publisher=''The Laredo Morning Times''|date=July 22, 2016|accessdate=July 24, 2016}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerra, Joe A.}}
[[Category:Texas]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Former Democrats]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Catholicss]]