Felix Z. Longoria (April 16, 1920 – June 16, 1945) was an American soldier from Texas, who served in the United States Army as a private.

He died during World War II and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery[1] after veterans supported his cause in a dispute over his funerary arrangements.

The American GI Forum, a local activist group, fought against the injustice, and he was eventually buried in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C.[3] Born and raised in Three Rivers, Texas, Felix Longoria moved to Corpus Christi with his wife in search of work.

[13][14] Kennedy was willing to set up a wake at the Longoria home, in the segregated area across the railroad tracks from the white section of town, as was the customary treatment of Mexican Americans by the Three Rivers community.

Outraged Tejanos who sought to end such discrimination, organized under the newly formed American GI Forum and its leader, Hector P.

Frank Oltorf, dissenting member, wrote a minority report concluding that the funeral home's actions were discriminatory based on race.

[19][20] What has now become known as the "Longoria Affair" was a pivotal moment in the early stages of the post-World War II Chicano Movement in the United States.

Mrs. Longoria and her sister contacted Hector P. Garcia, founder of the American GI Forum, who began lobbying for improvements.

The intervention of García and the American GI Forum in the matter led to an increased interest around the country in opening local chapters of the organization.

[22] Among Mexican Americans and Hispanics across the country, the incident became a rallying point and a recruiting tool for the GI Forum that soon had chapters across the US.

Hernandez gained permission from the Tejano owner of the now closed and dilapidated funeral home to place a Texas Historical Marker on the property.

[26] The new owners of the property asked that the marker not be returned after it was repaired, so it was rededicated and installed in the town square at the entrance to city hall.

[28] The exact words Mr. Kennedy reportedly used and his reasons for denying the use of the funeral home are disputed by some locals in Three Rivers, and the family and friends of Mr.