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Vicente Gonzalez Jr.
Summary
Vicente Gonzalez Jr., born September 4, 1967, in Corpus Christi, Texas, is a lawyer and lifelong South Texas resident. He earned his J.D. from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in 1996 and established a private law practice in 1997. He represents the 34th Congressional District, which extends along the Gulf Coast from Brownsville to Corpus Christi. Gonzalez is considered a conservative Democrat and serves as co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition. He was first elected to Congress in 2016 from the 15th district and was redistricted to the 34th in 2022, where he defeated Republican Mayra Flores. He serves on the House Committee on Financial Services.
Background
Vicente Gonzalez Jr. was born September 4, 1967, in Corpus Christi, Texas, and is a lifelong South Texas resident. His father was a merchant seaman who served in the Korean War, and his mother was born and raised in Mexico. Gonzalez dropped out of high school but earned his GED in 1985. He attended Del Mar College (A.S. in Banking and Finance, 1990), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (B.S. in Business Aviation, 1992), and Texas Wesleyan University School of Law (J.D., 1996). During law school, he interned for Congressman Solomon P. Ortiz. In 1997, he established his law practice, V. Gonzalez & Associates. Gonzalez was elected to the U.S. House in 2016 representing the 15th district and was redistricted to the 34th district in 2023. He is married to Lorena Saenz Gonzalez, a former teacher and school administrator, and they live in McAllen.