Frank Tejeda

Frank Mariano Tejeda (October 2, 1945 – January 30, 1997) was an American Democratic politician from Texas. A native of San Antonio, he served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, and upon returning to Texas, went into politics. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1976 to 1987, in the Texas Senate from 1987 to 1993, and finally in the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas's 28th congressional district from 1993 until his death.

Biography Frank M. Tejeda was born in San Antonio, Texas, on October 2, 1945. He attended St. Leo's Catholic School and Harlandale High School.

He grew up in an impoverished household, and had a difficult youth, in which he joined a gang as a teenager. During this time, he resumed his education and passed the General Educational Development test.

After his Marine Corps service, he earned his bachelor's degree in 1970 from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, and his J.D. in 1974 from University of California, Berkeley Law School. He was buried with full military honors at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio. A charter high school with his name, Frank Tejeda Academy, in the Harlandale Independent School District in San Antonio, the same district in which he lived and from which he graduated. The Frank M. Tejeda Post Office Building in San Antonio, dedicated in 1997. The VA outpatient clinic in San Antonio was posthumously named in his honor. Frank Tejeda Estates, a housing development at Lackland Air Force Base. Frank Tejeda Middle School in the North East Independent School District in San Antonio was posthumously named in his honor. Division Park in the City of San Antonio was renamed Frank Tejeda Park in 1996. The Texas State Veterans Home in Floresville, Texas is named in memory of Rep. Tejeda. After his death, the Marine Corps Reserve Association created the Major Frank M. Tejeda Leadership Award to recognize leaders committed to the Marine Corps.