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He had been fighting lung cancer for about a year, and his death at age 77 was due to complications from cancer treatments, his office said.

Born on a Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ ranch, the son of a vaquero guest worker from Mexico, Grijalva went on to a career in public service that led Pima County to buy and preserve 4,800 acres of that Canoa Ranch and name it in his honor.

Paddled as a child for speaking Spanish in school, he went on as a ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ school board member to make sure bilingual education was offered in classrooms.

And from his roots as a Chicano activist inspired by Cesár Chavez in the 1960s and ‘70s, he went on to become one of the most prominent liberal voices in the U.S. Congress, a senior statesman in the national Democratic Party and a mentor to generations of progressive leaders.

Many of those leaders poured out their gratitude and grief Thursday, from Mayor Regina Romero and former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, to New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in D.C., who said “he mentored generouslyâ€� and stood as “one of the biggest champions for working people in all of Congress.â€�

Grijalva spent more than 22 years in Congress, representing much of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ including its south and west sides and sections of western and central ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. Before that, he spent more than 13 years as an outspoken and highly effective advocate for low-income people and for the environment on the Pima County Board of Supervisors; and another dozen years before that on the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Unified School District Governing Board.

As a youthful community activist in the late 1960s and early ‘70s, he fought successful battles on behalf of a heavily Latino neighborhood where he lived on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s west side, most notably getting parts of El Rio Golf Course converted into a park and the city’s first neighborhood center.

Those who knew and worked with Grijalva describe him as perhaps ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s most passionate advocate for the environment, immigrants and the poor in general, but one very skilled in the art of compromise to get things done.

His daughter, Pima County Supervisors Chairwoman Adelita Grijalva, remembered him a little differently on Facebook.

“My dad has said ‘it’s all about the love’ for as long as I can remember. I remember watching him give speeches as a little girl and was just so impressed by him — a feeling that has never changed.�

“He dedicated over 50 years of his life to speaking up for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. He is the smartest person I’ll ever know — a fighter until the end.�

“There’s so much more I can say, I could write novels about my Dad,� she continued. “For now, I will just say thank you for being my Dad and for showing this world what the son of a bracero and kid from Sunnyside can do when they work hard and dream big. I love you too much Daddie and I will miss you every day of my life.�

In addition to his daughter Adelita, Grijalva’s survivors include his wife, Ramona, and daughters Raquel and Marisa.

Perhaps Grijalva’s best-known contribution to Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ was his advocacy for creation in the early 2000s of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, a groundbreaking, visionary effort to save some of the best remaining undeveloped desert lands that were still privately owned. The effort led to more than 200,000 acres of desert land being purchased by Pima County for permanent conservation that otherwise could have been developed.

“I can’t think of any aspect of environmental protection, environmental justice, clean air and clean water that he wasn’t helpful on,� said Ray Carroll, a Republican who worked with Grijalva on the Board of Supervisors.

Former County Supervisor Dan Eckstrom, who served on the board with Grijalva for 13 years, called his death a “tremendous loss.�

“Raúl was a true leader of our community. Throughout his political career he gave his heart and soul to our community,� he said. “People like that don’t come around that often."

Grijalva led by always having good discipline and knowing the needs of the people he represented, Eckstrom said. The two men were at times political rivals and at times disagreed on development issues but were also fierce allies at other times. “Raúl and I, we didn’t always agree on things, but you know that we always agreed to be disagreeable, and we agreed on more things that we disagreed on,� said Eckstrom, like Grijalva a Democrat.

One of Grijalva’s most recent successful efforts culminated in August 2023, when then-President Joe Biden designated the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni — Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The monument lies east and northeast of Grand Canyon National Park and contains thousands of historic and scientific objects, sacred places, vital water sources, and the ancestral homelands of at least a dozen tribes.

Grijalva spent years fighting for the monument and upon his death, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren wrote on X, “There are truly no words that can capture the deep gratitude I feel for his tireless efforts on behalf of the tribal communities across ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. He was a champion who answered the call of those who had often been overlooked and unheard. In a world where such calls can be easy to ignore, Rep. Grijalva was always there to lift those voices.â€�

"Without Grijalva’s leadership, we would not have had that monument,� said Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon chapter. “He worked with tribal leaders and brought tribes together to talk about it. “He was pushing for it during the Obama administration and he kept pushing for it into the Biden administration.�

Grijalva was "the truest, strongest most dedicated environmentalist who’s ever been in Congress," added Kieran Suckling, director of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-based Center for Biological Diversity. "It’s just hard to imagine him not being there anymore, fighting for jaguars and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s public lands and Native American interests. It's devastating."

U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ said Thursday, “As another Latino working in public service, I can say from experience that he served as a role model to many young people across the Grand Canyon State. He spent his life as a voice for equality. In Congress, I was proud to see firsthand his leadership as chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee as he stood up for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s water rights, natural beauty, and Tribes. ... His legacy is one that will stand tall for generations.â€�

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mayor Regina Romero said she is devastated by the passing of Grijalva, her mentor.

“His lifetime of service to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and our nation will never be forgotten. Because of Representative Grijalva, we have cleaner water and air, more rights for ourselves and our children and many more public lands protected. Whether he was speaking at a neighborhood event, marching for civil rights, speaking against the erosion of our democratic values or joking with us in the backyard, he led with his principles and courage.â€�

Giffords, the former congresswoman, said she and her husband, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, also grieve his passing. “When I was first elected to Congress, Raul showed me the ropes," she said. 

In 2012, when Grijalva was chair of the Progressive Caucus in Congress, The Nation publication called him “one of the most powerful liberals in America.� On Thursday, Axios remembered him as “a giant of the progressive wing of his party.�

Not unlike Barack Obama — who as president had him on a short list for U.S. Interior secretary — he started out as a community organizer. Grijalva was a former director of El Pueblo Neighborhood Center which, among other services, provided free and low-cost health care to one of the poorest parts of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ community.

Grijalva, who easily won reelection in November, had said it would be his last term.

He had missed nearly a year’s worth of votes and been largely absent from the Capitol following his cancer diagnosis last year.

In late fall 2024, he voluntarily relinquished his role as ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, citing issues related to his cancer diagnosis, which he first disclosed in April 2024. He had been committee chairman from 2019 through 2022, when the Democrats last controlled the House.

In July he told the Star he was battling lung cancer.

Under state law, Grijalva’s death while in office sets a process in motion for choosing his successor. Gov. Katie Hobbs is required to set a primary election within 72 hours of the vacancy occurring; a primary election must be held within 120 to 133 days (about four months); and a general election must be held within 70 to 80 days (about 2 1/2 months) of the primary election.

Hobbs said Thursday, “For over two decades, he was a fierce advocate for his constituents and a fighter to uplift ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s most vulnerable communities, with a steadfast focus on ensuring justice for all. During his years of service, Congressman Grijalva worked tirelessly to protect our environment, expand health care to countless ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ns, respect tribal sovereignty, and ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive. To his last day, he remained a servant leader who put everyday people first while in office.â€�

Grijalva, who went to Sunnyside High School, was the first of his family to attend college, graduating from the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

“He will be forever remembered for his battles ranging from preserving and protecting the environment to fighting for social justice for minorities and the poor,â€� said Tom Volgy, a UA political science professor and a former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ mayor. “He served in roughly the same district that was represented by Morris K. Udall, and like Mo, he will always be a hero to us in Southern ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. ... Raúl to me represents all the best that a person can be doing public service.â€�

Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said Grijalva “took huge chances on young upcoming leaders. He recognized their flame and he put his fire to it, giving his fighting spirit to so many of us. It will be our responsibility, and our honor, to carry his spirit forward. His willingness to be on picket lines, or protest lines, and even risking arrest, was always inspiring for me.

“The first time I had a really serious, private one-on-one conversation with him, he was famously drawing. Because since childhood, he always drew, and doodled, while he was thinking,� Conover said. “And so of course, at the end of the meeting, I said ‘can I keep that?’ which he thought was silly and funny, and I said, ‘no, I want to keep it, and I’m going to put today’s date on it.’ And he signed it, and that will always be a special memory.�

That doodle is now “in a very special, safe place� at home, she said, “where I can glance at it when I need a little bit of that fire.�

A granddaughter, Adriana Grijalva, remembered her fond memories of watching boxing with him at his house as a child.

“Seeing the work he’s done in the community, the impact he’s had on people, the small things that people see that’s made an impact, whether it’s his hugs, his moustache — those are things that people always bring up,� she said.

Now president of the Associated Students of the UA, Adriana Grijalva said she wouldn’t be where she is without him.

“One thing he always told me, ‘Mija, adelante when times get tough, that’s the moment to step up, create change, and never stop fighting’.�