Henry Cuellar
Henry Cuellar | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2017 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 28th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Ciro Rodriguez |
| 102nd Secretary of State of Texas | |
| In office January 2, 2001 – October 5, 2001 | |
| Governor | Rick Perry |
| Preceded by | Elton Bomer |
| Succeeded by | Geoff Connor (acting) |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives | |
| In office January 13, 1987 – January 2, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | W. N. Hall |
| Succeeded by | Richard Raymond |
| Constituency | 43rd district (1987–1993) 42nd district (1993–2001) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Enrique Roberto Cuellar September 19, 1955 Laredo, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Imelda Cuellar |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Laredo College (AA) Georgetown University (BS) University of Texas, Austin (JD, PhD) Texas A&M International University (MA) Naval War College (MS) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Enrique Roberto "Henry" Cuellar (/ˈkweɪ.ɑːr/ KWAY-ar; born September 19, 1955) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 28th congressional district since 2005. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and his district spans from the Rio Grande toward the suburbs of San Antonio.
Cuellar served in the Texas House of Representatives for 14 years, from 1987 to 2001, and briefly served as the Texas secretary of state in 2001, making him, as of 2025, the most recent Democrat to have held a statewide office in Texas.
Cuellar was first elected to Congress in 2004, after defeating incumbent Ciro Rodriguez in a primary challenge. Known as a leading centrist Democrat, he is one of the most conservative House Democrats.Since first being elected, he has since been comfortably reelected in every general election while surviving a number of competitive primary races, most notably in 2020 and 2022.
In early May 2024, Cuellar was indicted on money laundering, bribery and conspiracy charges by a federal grand jury in Houston, Texas; he was alleged to have accepted nearly $600,000 from the Azerbaijani government and a Mexican commercial bank in order to influence U.S. policy. He was pardoned by President Donald Trump in December 2025 before the case was brought to trial.