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State Sen. Mario Gallegos Dies at 62

Bob Daemmrich, Texas Tribune

State Senator Mario Gallegos died today.  

Gallegos was elected to the Texas State Senate in 1994. He was the first Hispanic Senator elected to represent Harris County.

Family members say he died due to complications from a 2007 liver transplant. Gallegos famously came to the Senate floor just days before the transplant to block voter photo ID legislation being pushed by Republicans in 2007. He was 62.

Ben Philpott is the Managing Editor for KUT. Got a tip? Email him at bphilpott@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @BenPhilpottKUT.