Carlos Truan

Carlos Flores Truan Sr. (June 9, 1935 – April 10, 2012), was an American businessman from Corpus Christi, Texas, who served for thirty-four years as a Democrat in both houses of the Texas Legislature. He was a state representative from 1969 to 1977 and a senator from 1977 until his retirement in 2003.

Background

A native of Kleberg County, Truan worked various low-paying jobs as a youth to help support his single mother, Santos Flores Truan, and his siblings. In 1959, he graduated with a degree in business administration from Texas A&M University–Kingsville, then known as Texas A&I University in Kingsville, Texas. He was active in the Hispanic civil rights groups, the League of United Latin American Citizens and the American GI Forum. He was also a member the Kiwanis International. In 1986, he served as "Governor for a Day". In 1995, he became the first Hispanic to be named Dean of the Texas Senate, the member with the greatest seniority. He would remain dean until he left the chamber in January 2003.

In 1981, Truan conducted a one-man filibuster and spoke nonstop for twenty hours to kill a bill related to the shrimping industry, important to the economy of his district. He wore a device by which he could relieve himself while engaging in the filibuster.

The Democrat Hugo Berlanga, who succeeded Truan in the Texas House and served there from 1977 until his resignation in 1998, recalled his mentor, accordingly: "He was as tough as they came, but he had a soft heart. He never forgot where his roots were. ... Once he became your advocate, he was your champion. Once he decided something was the right thing to do, there was no backing off. I learned a lot from him."