J.T. Canales
Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(March 7, 1877 - March 30, 1976) Civil rights advocate, legislator and attorney Jose Tomas Canales was born on a ranch in Nueces County to Andreas and Tomasa (Cavazos) Canales. As a young man, he moved to Kansas City, where he completed high school. In 1896, Canales began attending the University of Michigan, where he received his degree in law. He practiced in Corpus Christi and Laredo before moving to Brownsville in 1903. From 1905 to 1910 he served South Texas as a State Representative. In 1910, he married Anne Anderson Wheeler. He purchased this lot in 1911 and built a home on it in 1913. Canales then served as Cameron County School Superintendent and as County Judge before returning to the Texas House of Representatives (1917-20); during that time, he promoted irrigation projects to help farmers in South Texas. He also filed charges against the Texas Rangers for the oppression and murder of hundreds of Hispanics in the Rio Grande Valley, and demanded an investigation into and reorganization of the outfit; the Rangers were later reorganized. Canales decided against seeking reelection due to backlash from his charges against the Texas Rangers. Canales continued to work for Mexican American rights after leaving office. He was an influential member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), serving as an early president (1932-33) and writing the organization's first constitution. He went on to serve as Brownsville city attorney (1930-40) and wrote a number of books and articles. Today, the legislative and civil rights work by J. T. Canales continues to influence generations of individuals, particularly those of Mexican descent, throughout Texas.(2009)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
José Tomás Canales, born on a Nueces County ranch in 1877, earned a law degree at the University of Michigan and settled in Brownsville, building a home on this lot in 1913. As a state representative he promoted irrigation for South Texas farmers and, most boldly, filed charges in 1919 exposing Texas Rangers' violence against Hispanic residents of the Rio Grande Valley — a stand that forced the outfit's reorganization but drew fierce backlash. He went on to help found the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), serving as an early president and writing its first constitution.
Why it matters
Canales was a pioneering voice for Mexican-American civil rights whose challenge to state violence and leadership in LULAC shaped the long struggle for Latino equality in Texas.
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Related people
- · José Tomás Canales
Related events
- · Founding of LULAC
- · 1919 investigation of the Texas Rangers
Themes & tags
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