HOUSTON — Garnet Coleman, a Democrat who represented Houston’s House District 147 in the Texas Legislature for more than three decades, died Wednesday at age 65, his family said.
Coleman died of natural causes, according to his family. He had lived for years with serious complications from diabetes.
State Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, described Coleman as a close friend and mentor and said his death marked the loss of “a giant” in Texas politics.
“I loved him like a brother,” Walle said. “What I remember distinctly about Garnet Coleman is that he was a day-one supporter of mine, but he was a day-one supporter of Texans.”
Coleman’s legislative record included work on major health care measures, including Children’s Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), mental health parity legislation and HIV/AIDS services.
Walle credited Coleman with helping secure the passage of Medicaid and CHIP in Texas, saying the programs benefited working families across the state.
Coleman’s district covered much of Houston’s Inner Loop, including the University of Houston’s main campus.
Walle also credited Coleman with advocating for state funding and authorization that helped establish the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs and Tillman Fertitta Family College of Medicine.
Coleman previously chaired the Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Texas Legislative Study Group, a coalition of progressive lawmakers that Walle now leads.
Coleman was born in Washington, D.C., in 1961 and grew up in Houston. He initially attended Howard University before transferring to the University of St. Thomas in Houston, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science.
He later completed Harvard University’s Senior Executive Program for State and Local Government.
Coleman entered politics in 1988 as a delegate to the Texas State Democratic Convention. He won his first election to the Texas House in a 1991 runoff, succeeding the late state Rep. Larry Q. Evans.
Coleman continued working on issues affecting his former district after retiring from the Legislature, with a particular focus on affordable housing.
“Even when he didn’t have an official title, he was still trying to fight for housing and economic development and opportunity for those in his community that sometimes are not seen,” Walle said. “And he was able to see those people and advocate for these people as a private citizen, and I appreciated that.”
Coleman is survived by his wife, Angelique, and their children, Austin and Evan.