Ms. Lee, who was first elected to her Houston seat in 1994, revealed that she had pancreatic cancer in June.
Democratic Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who represented her constituents for more than 30 years, has died after a battle with cancer, her family announced on Friday. She was 74.
Ms. Lee was first elected to her Houston seat in 1994. She served the 18th Congressional District of Texas, which had a black majority.
In June, the congresswoman revealed that she had pancreatic cancer.
“Today, with incredible grief for our loss yet deep gratitude for the life she shared with us, we announce the passing of United States Representative Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18th Congressional District of Texas,” the Democratic congresswoman’s family said in a statement.
Ms. Lee was born in Queens, New York, on Jan. 12, 1950. She was one of two children.
Her mother, Ivalita Bennett Jackson, was a nurse who once cared for premature infants at Salvation Army Booth Memorial Hospital in the 1940s. Her father, Ezra Clyde Jackson, once worked as an artist for Marvel during World War II.
After earning her bachelor’s degree from Yale University with honors and a law degree from the University of Virginia Law School, Ms. Lee moved with her husband to Texas, where she began her political career as a municipal judge and a member of the Houston City Council.
Her family described her as a fierce champion of the people who were known to her constituents for her near-ubiquitous presence and service for more than 30 years.
“A local, national, and international humanitarian, she was acknowledged worldwide for her courageous fights for racial justice, criminal justice, and human rights, with a special emphasis on women and children,” the statement by Ms. Lee’s family said.
President Joe Biden also issued a statement on Saturday calling the congresswoman “a great American.”
“I had the honor of working with her during her nearly 30 years in Congress. No matter the issue—from delivering racial justice to building an economy for working people—she was unrelenting in her leadership,” he said.
“Always fearless, she spoke truth to power and represented the power of the people of her district in Houston with dignity and grace.”
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