Ben Reyes, Houston's First Latino Council Member, Dies

The former state lawmaker and Vietnam veteran died at age 79, according to the extraction-stage record.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Hispanic

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a civic building facade with a tall flagpole and limp flag under a pale sky, in deep red, cream, and navy. — Ben Reyes, Houston's first Latino city council member and a former Texas House member, died at age 79. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Ben Reyes, a former Texas House member and Houston's first Latino city council member, has died at age 79. He served on council from 1979 until term limits ended his tenure in 1996.

Why it matters

Reyes's election in 1979 followed Houston's partial adoption of district-based council elections, a change that opened city government to Latino representation. His career also includes a bribery conviction, which shaped how his legacy is remembered locally.

Reyes held his Texas House seat for seven years and his Houston council District I seat for 17 years before term limits applied. He lost the 1992 Democratic congressional runoff to Gene Green by 180 votes, and the cause of his death was not reported in the source record.

The players

Ben Reyes

A Vietnam veteran and Houston politician who became the city's first Latino council member, and who was later convicted of bribery.

Gene Green

A Houston Democrat who defeated Reyes in the 1992 congressional runoff and later served many years in the U.S. House.

Leonel Castillo

A former Houston city official and mentor who encouraged Reyes to run for public office.

The details

Born in Burton, Texas, in February 1947, Reyes served as a U.S. Marine in the Vietnam War before entering politics. He was convicted of bribery and conspiracy over a scheme to influence a convention-center hotel contract, and served about seven years in federal prison before his release in 2006.

February 1947: Reyes born in Burton, Texas.
1973 to 1980: Reyes serves in the Texas House.
1979: Houston partly adopts district-based council elections; Reyes wins District I.
1992: Reyes loses the Democratic congressional runoff to Gene Green.
1996: Term limits end Reyes's council service.

Legacy Context

Reyes's 1979 win in District I came as Houston partly shifted to single-member council districts, a change that gave Latino voters a path to city office. His later conviction complicates how that early milestone is remembered in the community he represented.

Houston residents, particularly in the East End and Denver Harbor neighborhoods Reyes represented, may find his career a reference point for understanding local political history. The record does not describe any immediate change to city services or policy.

The takeaway

Reyes's career shows how district-based elections opened city government to new voices, and how public accountability applies regardless of a politician's earlier achievements.