Pete Stark: “I rise to honor the life of former Representative Edward Roybal who passed away on October 24, 2005. He is survived by…”

“I rise to honor the life of former Representative Edward Roybal who passed away on October 24, 2005. He is survived by his wife, Lucille Beserra Roybal, and his three children, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, Lillian Roybal-Rose an Edward Roybal, Jr. Edward Ross Roybal was born on February 10, 1916 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and then moved to the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles at an early age. He began his political career as many of us did--by losing his first run for office. In reaction to that defeat, he founded the Los Angeles Community Service Organization (CSO) with the goal of mobilizing Los Angeles's Mexican-Americans against discrimination in housing, employment and education. In 1949, following a groundswell of support from minority communities, Mr. Roybal was elected to the L.A. City Council, the first Hispanic to serve on the city council in more than a century. In 1962, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives representing an LA District that changed several times during his 30- year tenure in the House. At the time of his election, he became the first Hispanic from California to serve in Congress since 1879. He was one of the founding members--and became the first chair--of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). During his time in Congress, he ascended to the powerful Appropriations Committee, where he was an outspoken advocate for funding for education, civil rights, and health programs.…”