Rangel, Irma Lerma (1931-2003), was a Texas educator, lawyer, and politician. In 1976, she became the first Mexican American woman to be elected to the Texas Legislature.
Irma Lerma Rangel was born in Kingsville, in southern Texas, on May 15, 1931. Her father was a farm worker who became a business owner, and her mother owned and ran a dress shop. In 1952, Rangel earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Texas College of Arts and Industries (now Texas A & M University-Kingsville).
Following graduation, Rangel worked as a teacher and school administrator in Texas, California, and Venezuela. In 1966, she enrolled at the St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio. She earned a law degree from the school in 1969. She worked as a law clerk and then as an assistant district attorney before opening a private law practice in Kingsville.
Rangel soon became involved in politics. In 1974, she was elected chairperson of the Kleberg County Democratic Party. Two years later, she made Texas history by becoming the first Mexican American woman elected to the state’s House of Representatives.
As a state representative, Rangel became known for her work on issues related to education, poverty, and civil rights. As chairperson of the House Higher Education Committee, she worked to bring a pharmacy school to the campus of Texas A & M University-Kingsville. Upon opening, it became the first professional school in South Texas.
Rangel was reelected to the House every two years through 2002. She died on March 18, 2003. The following year, the pharmacy school she helped establish was officially named the Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy.
