Esteban Edward Torres

Esteban Edward Torres (January 27, 1930 – January 25, 2022) was an American politician and labor leader who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from California’s 34th congressional district from January 3, 1983, to January 3, 1999. Over eight consecutive terms in Congress, he represented a predominantly Hispanic district in the Los Angeles area and contributed actively to the legislative process during a significant period in late twentieth-century American history.

Torres was born in Miami, Arizona, to parents from Mexico. His father worked as a miner but was deported to Mexico during the Mexican Repatriation of the 1930s, a formative event that shaped Torres’s later interest in immigration and civil rights issues. Following this upheaval, he was raised primarily by his mother, Rena Gómez, in East Los Angeles, California. Growing up in a working-class, immigrant community, Torres experienced firsthand the economic and social challenges faced by Mexican American families, experiences that would later inform his work in organized labor and public service.

After completing his early schooling in East Los Angeles, Torres pursued higher education while working and supporting his family. He attended East Los Angeles College and later graduated from California State University, Los Angeles. Demonstrating a continuing commitment to education and public policy, he undertook graduate-level coursework at the University of Maryland, College Park, and at American University in Washington, D.C. His academic pursuits complemented his emerging leadership roles in labor and government.

Torres served in the United States Army from 1949 to 1953, during the early Cold War era. His military service provided him with broader exposure to national and international affairs and reinforced his commitment to public service. After leaving the Army, he became active in the labor movement, rising through the ranks of the United Auto Workers (UAW). From 1964 to 1968, he served as an international representative of the UAW in Washington, D.C., where he worked on behalf of union members and became increasingly involved in national policy discussions affecting workers, minorities, and low-income communities.

In the 1970s, Torres expanded his public service beyond organized labor into diplomatic and executive-branch roles. He was appointed United States Ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France, serving from 1977 to 1979. In that capacity, he represented U.S. interests in international discussions on education, science, and culture. From 1979 to 1981, he served as a special assistant to President Jimmy Carter, further deepening his experience in federal policymaking and administration. Torres first sought a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974 but was unsuccessful in that initial attempt.

Torres was elected to Congress in 1982 as a Democrat and took office on January 3, 1983, representing California’s 34th congressional district. He served eight terms, remaining in the House until January 3, 1999. During his tenure, he prioritized issues affecting Hispanics and other underrepresented communities, including immigration, economic opportunity, education, and housing. He played a key role in the development and passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, landmark legislation that combined employer sanctions for hiring undocumented workers with provisions for legalization of certain undocumented immigrants. Throughout his service, he participated fully in the legislative and oversight responsibilities of the House, representing the interests of his constituents in East Los Angeles and surrounding areas during a period marked by shifting economic conditions, debates over immigration policy, and changing U.S. relations with Latin America.

Torres chose not to run for reelection in 1998, concluding his congressional service at the end of his eighth term in January 1999. He was succeeded in the House by Democrat Grace Napolitano. Even as his congressional career drew to a close, he remained active in public affairs. He served as a member of the California Transportation Commission from 1997 to 2007, helping to oversee transportation planning and infrastructure investment in one of the nation’s most populous and complex states. His commitment to public service and community development continued to be recognized in various forms, including the establishment of the Esteban E. Torres NCLR-Harvard Mid-Career Fellowship Program, a partnership between the National Council of La Raza (now UnidosUS) and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and the naming of Esteban Torres High School in his honor. In 2001, Whittier College awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) degree, recognizing his contributions to public life and advocacy on behalf of Hispanic Americans.

Torres married Arcy Sanchez, and together they had four children. He remained a respected figure among labor activists, Latino leaders, and former colleagues in Congress, and his career is frequently cited in discussions of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States Congress. Esteban Edward Torres died on January 25, 2022, in California, two days before his 92nd birthday, leaving a legacy of service that spanned military duty, labor advocacy, diplomacy, and sixteen years in the U.S. House of Representatives.