Froylan D. Salinas (October 5, 1939 – May 10, 2021) was an American politician who served in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

from 1977 to 1985. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first Latino lawmaker from Lubbock.

Biography

Salinas lived in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

. He was elected to the

in 1976, and served until 1985. He stated in a 2010 interview that racial discrimination was common until just a few years before his election, stating "I still remember the signs on restaurant doors and windows saying no Mexicans or dogs allowed". Following his legislative tenure, he went on to serve as a lobbyist and as chancellor of

Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...

. He died on May 10, 2021, in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, at age 81.

References

1939 births 2021 deaths Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Texas Politicians from Lubbock, Texas 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature {{Texas-politician-stub