Rio Grande Valley - People of Historical Interest

People of Historical Interest

A list of notable people who were born, lived, or died in the Rio Grande Valley includes:

  • David V. Aguilar (Chief Border Patrol Agent, United States Border Patrol, Rio Grande Valley Station, Texas)
  • Gloria E. Anzaldúa (Writer/Poet, Hargill, Texas)
  • Cathy Baker (T.V. performer, Edinburg, Texas)
  • Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr. (U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Mission, Texas)
  • James Carlos Blake (Novelist, Brownsville)
  • Harlon Block (Iwo Jima flag raiser, died on Iwo Jima, Weslaco, Texas)
  • William S. Burroughs American writer, his time as a farmer in the valley (Pharr, TX) is chronicled, briefly, in his books Junky and Queer
  • Rolando Cantu is a Mexican football player who used to play for the Arizona Cardinals in the USA and graduated from McAllen High School. (McAllen, TX)
  • Thomas Haden Church (Actor, Harlingen, Texas)
  • Kika de la Garza (U.S. Representative, Mission, Texas)
  • Freddy Fender (Musician/Actor lyricist, San Benito, Texas)
  • Mike Fossum (Astronaut, McAllen, Texas)
  • Reynaldo Guerra Garza (Judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Brownsville, Texas)
  • Roberto Garza (Professional Football Player Chicago Bears, Rio Hondo, Texas)
  • Tony Garza (U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Brownsville, Texas)
  • Alfredo C. Gonzalez (Medal of Honor Recipient, U.S. Marine Veteran, Edinburg, Texas)
  • Matt Gonzalez (2008 Vice Presidential candidate; former president of the San Francisco, California, Board of Superviors; born, McAllen, Texas)
  • Esteban Jordan (Accordionist, Elsa, TX)
  • Bill Haley (Musician, Harlingen, TX)
  • Catherine Hardwicke (Film director, writer, producer, McAllen, TX)
  • Rubén Hinojosa (U.S. Representative, Edcouch Elsa, Texas)
  • Kris Kristofferson (Musician, actor, song writer, Brownsville, Texas)
  • Tom Landry (American football coach, Mission, Texas)
  • Bobby Lackey (College Football Player Weslaco, TX)
  • Jose M. Lopez (Medal of Honor Recipient, Mission, TX)
  • Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas is a musician currently part rock band MuteMath,(McAllen, TX)
  • Jack Morava is a mathematician from Mercedes at Johns Hopkins University
  • Rachel McLish (Ms. Olympia, actor, Harlingen, Texas)
  • Bobby Morrow (Olympic gold medalist, San Benito, Texas)
  • Major Samuel Ringgold (Father of modern artillery, served at what is now Fort Ringgold, Rio Grande City, Texas)
  • Valente Rodriguez (Actor, Edcouch, Texas)
  • Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, USA, Ret. (Ground forces commander in Iraq, Rio Grande City, Texas)
  • Julian Schnabel (Filmmaker, Brownsville, TX)
  • Merced Solis aka Tito Santana (Wrestler, Mission, Texas)
  • Nick Stahl (Actor, Harlingen, Texas)
  • Rigo Tovar (Musician/actor/composer, Matamoros, Tamps)
  • Filemon Bartolome Vela (Federal judge, Harlingen, Texas)
  • Eric Miles Williamson (Novelist/Literary Critic/Professor, McAllen, Texas)

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