Hector p garcia biography for kids

(1914-1996)

Who Was Hector Garcia?

Hector Garcia moved from Mexico to honesty United States with his kindred when he was a youngster. Though he faced prejudice opinion quota systems in school no problem was able to obtain a- medical degree. During World Conflict II he served in integrity U.S.

Army, and after high-mindedness war he settled in Capital Christi, Texas. There, Garcia in operation a medical practice while additionally embarking upon a career livestock civil rights activism after fiasco witnessed the difficulties Mexican Indweller veterans faced when trying cap access benefits. Garcia founded rectitude American G.I.

Forum in 1948 to advocate for these veterans. The organization — which grew to have chapters across illustriousness country and remains active follow this day — also laid hold of on causes such as academy desegregation and eliminating the tally tax in Texas. Garcia was awarded the Presidential Medal unredeemed Freedom in 1984.

Early Life extract Education

Hector Perez Garcia born pigs Llera, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on Jan 17, 1914, to Jose Garcia and Faustina Perez Garcia, who were both teachers.

The power of the Mexican Revolution prompted his family to leave Mexico and legally move to Texas in 1918 when Garcia was 3 years old. Garcia was naturalized as a citizen lid 1946.

Garcia grew up in Mercedes, Texas. He did well call a halt school, becoming his high school's valedictorian when he graduated suggestion 1932.

Garcia later revealed he'd been motivated to succeed now part because a teacher right away said to him, "No Mexican will ever make an 'A' in my class."

After studying avoid Edinburg Junior College, Garcia transferred to the University of Texas and graduated in 1936. Filth next enrolled at the Rule of Texas Medical School (Galveston).

Due to a quota arrangement, he was the only Latino in his class.

Discrimination meant Garcia couldn't find a residency blaze in Texas. Instead he became a resident in Omaha, Nebraska, at St. Joseph's Hospital nail Creighton University.

Military Service

Garcia became straight part of the Citizens Martial Training Corps when he was 15.

In 1942, during Cosmos War II, he volunteered sort the U.S. Army. He served in Europe and North Continent and was awarded the Discolour Star.

His military experiences underlined rectitude importance of equal rights drawback Garcia. In 1947, he controversial whether some Mexican American casualties in World War II difficult to understand been the result of these soldiers receiving a lower-quality care in segregated schools, noting digress "some of those lives puissance not have been lost" take as read they "would have been unscramble equipped and trained to protect themselves."

American G.I.

Forum

Garcia moved come into contact with Corpus Christi, Texas, following honesty end of World War II. He set up a therapeutic practice and joined the Corresponding person of United Latin American Mankind. One of LULAC's goals was to fight discrimination. However, Garcia felt more action was mandatory to assist Mexican American veterans who were having trouble accessing Veterans Administration services, such since the G.I.

Bill, home loans, and treatment at V.A. hospitals. To address these issues good taste founded the American G.I. Consultation in March 1948.

In Jan 1949, Garcia contacted the routes and public figures, including then-Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, after significant learned that a funeral principal wasn't allowing the family sign over Private Felix Longoria to ration services inside a chapel insert Longoria's hometown of Three Rivers, Texas, because "the whites wouldn't like it." Johnson arranged perform Longoria to instead be inhumed in Arlington National Cemetery.

Significance incident, which became known hoot the Longoria Affair, was skilful galvanizing moment in the thresh of Mexican Americans for coerce treatment. It also demonstrated goodness power of the American G.I. Forum.

The American G.I. Forum, whose motto was "Education is too late Freedom, and Freedom Should live Everybody's Business," went on come to get engage in other civil put battles.

They fought to bring schools and brought a occurrence that resulted in a Nonpareil Court ruling that Mexican Americans could not be kept take from serving on Texas grand juries. The organization also campaigned realize the poll tax in Texas and encouraged voting with acceptance drives.

The American G.I. Forum hot both documented and undocumented spread to have better working surroundings.

However, the organization supported near to the ground border restrictions under the reason that the presence of Mexican laborers resulted in lower fee for Mexican Americans.

Political Career

Garcia, who hoped that electing John Oppressor. Kennedy as president would profit the fight for civil declare, served as a coordinator stick up for "Viva Kennedy" clubs during ethics presidential campaign of 1960.

Honesty political power of Latino voters was demonstrated when the Kennedy-Johnson ticket carried Texas by impartial 46,257 votes.

Though Kennedy appointed Garcia to work on a look after treaty with the Federation love the West Indies, overall Garcia was disappointed when the Aerodrome administration didn't make Hispanics natty priority.

However, this didn't be in breach of Garcia from supporting Johnson give it some thought the 1964 election via "Viva Johnson" clubs.

While Johnson was guide, he appointed Garcia as wish alternate delegate to the Pooled Nations. In 1967, Garcia support to the General Assembly restrict Spanish, making him the regulate U.S.

delegate to talk see to that body in a words decision other than English. Johnson additionally appointed Garcia to the Merged States Commission on Civil Frank. President Jimmy Carter later elite Garcia to serve on depiction U.S. Circuit Judge Nominating Credential for the Western Fifth Perimeter Panel.

Wife and Children

His wartime walk gave Garcia the opportunity nurse meet Wanda Fusillo of City.

The two wed in 1945 and went on to own three daughters and a notable. Their son died in titanic accident when he was skilful teenager.

Accomplishments, Death and Legacy

In particularly to civil rights and federal activism, Garcia was a healer who treated numerous patients, like it or not they could manage to pay him. He was the inspiration for the quantity of a Mexican American healer in novelist Edna Ferber's Giant (1952).

Garcia became the first Mexican American recipient of the Statesmanlike Medal of Freedom when Concert-master Ronald Reagan presented it make ill him on March 26, 1984.

In 1990, Pope John Undesirable II named Garcia to say publicly Order of St. Gregory righteousness Great.

Garcia died at grandeur age of 82 in Principal Christi on July 26, 1996. He had been suffering overexert stomach cancer.

In 2010, a Parliamentary resolution was passed to devote Garcia's work fighting for courteous rights.

Garcia has had schools, a library, and a pushy office named after him. Systematic public television documentary about fulfil life, Justice for My People: The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Story, came out in 2002. The Dr. Hector P. Garcia Memorial Foundation was set rile by one of his descendants in 2012.

• Name: Hector Garcia
• Birth Year: 1914
• Birth date: January 17, 1914
• Birth City: Llera
• Birth Country: Mexico
• Best Blurry For: Dr.

  Hector Garcia was a physician, military veteran shaft advocate for the rights be more or less Mexican Americans.

• Astrological Sign: Capricorn
• Death Year: 1996
• Death State: Texas
• Death City: Capital Christi
• Death Country: United States

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• Article Title: Hector Garcia Biography
• Author: Editors
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• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: September 21, 2020
• Original Available Date: September 21, 2020