Abraham Kazen
Encyclopedia
Abraham Kazen, Jr., usually known as Chick Kazen (January 17, 1919—November 29, 1987) was a U.S. Representative
from Texas
from 1967 to 1985.
. He graduated in 1937 from Laredo High School (renamed Martin High School
). He then attended the University of Texas at Austin
from 1937 to 1940. In 1941, Kazen graduated from the Cumberland School of Law
in Lebanon, Tennessee
(since removed to Birmingham, Alabama
). He has Lebanese descent a Maronite from the Khazen
family.
pilot at Lubbock Air Force Base in 1942, and during World War II
he served in North Africa
, Sicily
, and Italy
as a pilot in Troop Carrier Command. He was discharged with the rank of captain in 1953.
from 1947 to 1953, and was elected to the Texas Senate
in 1952. He served continuously for fourteen years through 1966 and was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate in 1959. He served as Acting Governor of Texas
on August 4, 1959, and he was a member of the Texas Legislative Council for sixteen years. He was succeeded in the state Senate by his fellow Democrat
Wayne Connally
of Floresville
in Wilson County
, a brother of Governor of Texas
John B. Connally, Jr.
He was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1966 to representing the newly created 23rd District. It was the largest congressional district in the nation (excluding at-large districts encompassing whole states), stretching across 800 miles from El Paso
in the west to San Antonio in the east. It had been created when Texas' previous congressional map was thrown out by Wesberry v. Sanders
. He was reelected eight more times with no substantive opposition.
In 1984, Kazen's opponent in the Democratic primary was Albert Bustamante
, a Bexar County circuit court judge. By this time, the 23rd had become a majority-Hispanic district. Because of demographic changes, Bustamante upset Kazen in the primary. To date, Kazen is the last Anglo Democrat to have represented a significant portion of San Antonio in the U.S. House.
Kazen was of Lebanese
descent. He retired to Laredo after his defeat. He was an uncle
of retired U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen of Laredo. He died in Austin and is buried in the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Laredo.
Kazen is honored through the naming of the Kazen Center, the student union building, at Laredo Community College
, Abraham Kazen Middle School, in San Antonio, Texas; and Kazen Elementary School, in Laredo, Texas.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
from 1967 to 1985.
Education
Kazen was a lifelong resident of the border town of Laredo, TexasLaredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
. He graduated in 1937 from Laredo High School (renamed Martin High School
Martin High School (Laredo, Texas)
Raymond & Tirza Martin High School, known as Martin High School, is a secondary institution of learning located in the Laredo Independent School District in Laredo, Texas. Grades 9th through 12th are taught there. It serves students living in central Laredo...
). He then attended the University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
from 1937 to 1940. In 1941, Kazen graduated from the Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law
Cumberland School of Law is an ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. The 11th oldest law school in the United States, it is 160 years old and has more than 11,000 graduates. Its alumni include two United States Supreme Court Justices; Nobel Peace Prize recipient...
in Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
(since removed to Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
). He has Lebanese descent a Maronite from the Khazen
Khazen
Khazen is the name of a prominent Noble Levantine family based in Keserwan District, Lebanon, Damascus, Syria, Nablus, Palestine as well as other distrits around the Levant. The Khazen family have traced their lineage through DNA testing to Jericho, Palestine also known as Tell el-Sultan 8500 B.C....
family.
Military service
He served as a Air ForceAir force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
pilot at Lubbock Air Force Base in 1942, and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he served in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as a pilot in Troop Carrier Command. He was discharged with the rank of captain in 1953.
Public service
He served in the Texas House of RepresentativesTexas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from 1947 to 1953, and was elected to the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
in 1952. He served continuously for fourteen years through 1966 and was elected president pro tempore of the State Senate in 1959. He served as Acting Governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
on August 4, 1959, and he was a member of the Texas Legislative Council for sixteen years. He was succeeded in the state Senate by his fellow Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Wayne Connally
Wayne Connally
Wayne Wright Connally was a Texas rancher, a Democratic member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature, and a brother of both former Governor and United States Treasury Secretary John Bowden Connally, Jr., and Merrill Lee Connally, Sr., an actor and a former county judge.-Early years,...
of Floresville
Floresville, Texas
Floresville is a city in Wilson County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,868 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wilson County. The city is also part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area....
in Wilson County
Wilson County, Texas
Wilson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 32,408. Its county seat is Floresville. The county is named after James Charles Wilson....
, a brother of Governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
John B. Connally, Jr.
John Connally
John Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in...
He was elected to Congress as a Democrat in 1966 to representing the newly created 23rd District. It was the largest congressional district in the nation (excluding at-large districts encompassing whole states), stretching across 800 miles from El Paso
El Paso
El Paso, a city in the U.S. state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.El Paso may also refer to:-Geography:Colombia:* El Paso, CesarSpain:*El Paso, Santa Cruz de TenerifeUnited States:...
in the west to San Antonio in the east. It had been created when Texas' previous congressional map was thrown out by Wesberry v. Sanders
Wesberry v. Sanders
Wesberry v. Sanders, 376 U.S. 1 was a U.S. Supreme Court case involving U.S. Congressional districts in the state of Georgia. The Court issued its ruling on February 17, 1964. This decision requires each state to draw its U.S...
. He was reelected eight more times with no substantive opposition.
Albert Bustamante
Albert Garza Bustamante is a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas. A Democrat, he was a prominent Hispanic member of the House....
, a Bexar County circuit court judge. By this time, the 23rd had become a majority-Hispanic district. Because of demographic changes, Bustamante upset Kazen in the primary. To date, Kazen is the last Anglo Democrat to have represented a significant portion of San Antonio in the U.S. House.
Kazen was of Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
descent. He retired to Laredo after his defeat. He was an uncle
Uncle
An uncle is a type of familial relationship.Uncle may also refer to:* Uncle , by J. P. Martin* U.N.C.L.E., a fictional organization in the TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E....
of retired U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen of Laredo. He died in Austin and is buried in the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Laredo.
Laredo Community College
The Laredo Community College, or LCC, was established as Laredo Junior College on September 28, 1947, by the Laredo Independent School District in Laredo, the seat of Webb County in south Texas...
, Abraham Kazen Middle School, in San Antonio, Texas; and Kazen Elementary School, in Laredo, Texas.