John Treviño Jr.

John Treviño Jr. (October 18, 1938 – April 4, 2017) was an American politician in Austin, Texas. He was the first Mexican-American to serve on the Austin City Council, serving from 1975 to 1988. Treviño was part of a coalition that ended the exclusive grip of Anglo power in the city of Austin.

Early life and service

Treviño was born in Austin, and at age 8 volunteered to become a Catholic altar boy. He did odd jobs such as laundry service and made deliveries for a local blueprint company. His family was described to have a modest income. After he volunteered for a Catholic service group, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, his eyes were opened to the poverty around him. At age 17, Treviño volunteered for the army and trained as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He became a paid anti-poverty worker, the first at the East First Neighborhood Center, when he was 27. In the Austin community of Montopolis, Treviño partnered with a local Catholic priest, Father Underwood, to operate a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program that had been newly created as part of the War on Poverty initiative.

Austin City Council In the early 1970s, Treviño, Gus Garcia, Richard Moya and Gonzalo Barrientos were known by journalists as the "Young Turks" or the "Brown Machine". These Hispanic leaders, along with a coalition that included labor activists, African-Americans, and young voters, overturned the traditional Anglo businessmen based power structure of Austin.

Later life The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work nominated Treviño to attend an International Conference on Social Welfare in Helsinki, Finland. He was one of 13 Americans invited. After scandals at the Capital Metro board of directors, Trevino was elected to help clean it up. He served on the board from 1997 to 2009. He was a member of the board of directors of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and he served on the International Board of the U.S./Mexico Sister Cities Association. Treviño died at his Austin home in April 2017, aged 78.