Henry V. Sanchez

Henry V. Sanchez served his community in Houston, Texas for over five decades. He is considered the longest, continuously serving Mexican-American lawyer in Harris County history. Mr. Sanchez died suddenly from stage 4 liver cancer. He was 83 years old. Mr. Sanchez maintained his law practice in the East End Barrio of Houston, Texas since 1963. In 2013, the State Bar of Texas recognized his 50 years of valuable and meritorious service. During his service he was instrumental in founding the Mexican-American Bar Association, tried numerous successful civil and criminal cases and was noteworthy for his victorious appeal in the landmark case of the State of Texas v. Rey Garza. He leaves a legacy as an attentive father, fighter for social justice, striver for self-improvement and an avid artist.

Born on December 1, 1931, Mr. Sanchez grew up in Depression-era deprivation in Corpus Christi, Texas. During his high school years, he trained as boxer and came within one fight of winning the golden gloves in his weight class. Mr. Sanchez was the first in his family to ever seek higher education and made his way to the University of Houston on the G.I. Bill. He served in the Army R.O.T.C. and as an enlisted member in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was stationed alternately at Fort Lee, Virginia and Fort Hood, Texas. There he learned cryptography and was responsible for securing the top secrets codes for the bases he was stationed. He ended his enlistment at the rank of 1st Lieutenant in 1956.

While attending the University of Houston he discovered a hidden calling for art and originally planned to major in Fine Arts. However, financial and family considerations compelled him to graduate with a BA and MA in Education and American History. He began a brief career teaching US History at Aldine High School in Houston from 1956 to 1963.

He married his first wife, Maria Antonieta Garcia in 1959. She gave birth to three of his children: Leticia Yolanda, Maria Teresa and Henry Jr.

Due to his ever-demanding need for personal and intellectual improvement, he enrolled in the esteemed South Texas College of Law in downtown Houston. He successfully completed his Bachelor of Laws degree in January 1963, graduating at the top of his class. Mr. Sanchez passed his Texas State Bar exam on the first attempt and began practicing law that same year, even teaching for a time at South Texas College of Law.

Mr. Sanchez established his long-term law office in 1963 and was later joined by his partner and close friend Felix E. Salinas in 1966. Coincidentally, Mr. Salinas and Mr. Sanchez met during the time they both served in the Army at Fort Lee, Virginia. They practiced law together in the same address on 7016 Canal Street in Houston. Mr. Sanchez diligently worked six days a week until he became ill in June of 2015. This law office is still in use today by Mr. Salinas.

Mr. Sanchez is noted as the lead counsel on the successful landmark appellate victory in the State of Texas v. Rey Garza to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. This case stemmed from the 1979 incident now known as the Moody Park Riot, where a peaceful protest turned violent over a lenient verdict given to the police officers indicted from the murder of a Mexican-American Vietnam veteran while held in their custody in 1978. Mr. Sanchez appealed an attempt by the State to retry the defendant Rey Garza after the State lost the initial court case. In that first trial, his defendant was charged with two indictment counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer and participating in a felony riot. The State then abandoned the count of felony riot and proceeded to the jury the assault count. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and a mistrial was declared. However, when the State attempted to retry Garza on the felony riot count, Mr. Sanchez appealed to the Criminal Appeals Court on the basis that this constituted “double jeopardy” and was therefore unconstitutional. The Court subsequently ruled in the affirmative by agreeing with Mr. Sanchez’s arguments and barred a retrial. As a result of this case Mr. Sanchez was invited to Harvard Law School to lecture about the verdict as part of the civil rights seminars.

Mr. Sanchez was married for a second time to Emily Louise Hamilton who gave birth to his fourth child, Troy Victor.

Despite his heavy law practice and duties, Mr. Sanchez was an intense private artist, an avid museum attendee and an amateur art historian, being remarkably well read in past and contemporary art history. Mr. Sanchez’s paintings, watercolors and drawings were done in impressionist and expressionist styles. They filled his home, his children’s homes and office. Landscape, nudes and self-portraiture were his most frequent subject matter. He was prolific in making portraits of his children and grandchildren. Until his last days, Mr. Sanchez would visit major museums with his family.

To say that Mr. Sanchez was a passionate sports fan would be an understatement. Every morning the sport section of the newspaper was the first pages he would read. For many years he had season tickets to University of Houston football and basketball games. These outings were a family affair. All of his children and grandchildren enjoyed attending games with him. Sundays, in addition to museum going, were sports days with his daughters and sons. It became another bonding experience they had with their father.

Big Band, classic and swing jazz, Mexican romantic ballads and Classical music were his favorites to listen and enjoy. Among Mr. Sanchez’s preferred singers were Billie Holiday, Luis Prima, Tony Bennett, Placido Domingo, Vicente Fernandez and Peggy Lee. “Casablanca” was his most beloved movie.

A true romantic at heart, Mr. Sanchez loved travel and adventure. He was a frequent visitor to New York, Europe, Mexico and Central America. During his first time to Spain, in 1989, he fulfilled a life-long dream to visit Pamplona to witness the Saint Fermin festival and the annual “Running of the Bulls”. This led him to actually take part as one of the many runners in this dangerous tradition, where live horned bulls are let loose on participants in Pamplonas’ narrow streets. Luckily, Mr. Sanchez escaped this often fatal event with only a bruised knee.

Mr. Sanchez was known for his discipline, hard work and dedication to serve his East End Hispanic community. As a righteous person, when he saw injustice he wanted to right it. Mr. Sanchez was always a vociferous proponent of social justice, racial and gender equality. Although he was politically minded, Mr. Sanchez eschewed party politics and instead worked on the grass roots level by devoting his time to his clients.

As Mr. Sanchez took his last breath he was surrounded by his children Leticia, Maria, Troy and Henry Jr. Mr. Sanchez is also survived by six grand-children: Olivia, Martin, Gabriel, Natasha, Joelle and Makenna. He leaves a legacy of social obligation, intellectual pursuit, artistic passion and devotion to his family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Houston chapter for the:

Lone Star Legal Aid, http://www.lonestarlegal.org/

And: American Cancer Society, http://www.cancer.org/myacs/index?city=HOUSTON&state=TX

Memorial Services will be held at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home and Cemetery, 6900 Lawndale, Houston, Texas, 77023. As to his wishes, his remains will be cremated. Service opens at 6pm, Wednesday, August 5, 2015. Friends, former clients and the public are invited to attend.