Modern Texas Part 3, 1991-present

Born: Dorothy Ann Willis was born September 1, 1933, in Lakeview, Texas

Early Career: Richards received a bachelor's degree from Baylor University and a teaching certificate from the University of Texas. She taught social studies and history at Fulmore Junior High School in Austin before raising her family. She also spent much of her time volunteering for political campaigns and causes, especially those focusing on civil rights and economic justice. Richards entered politics in 1976, winning election as a Travis county commissioner. Six years later in 1982 she was elected state treasurer, the first woman elected to statewide office in Texas in fifty years. She was credited with greatly modernizing the operations of the treasury. Reelected in 1986, she gained national prominence when she delivered the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention.

Accomplishments: Ann Richards oversaw a revival of the state's economic fortunes. She stressed government efficiency by authorizing comprehensive audits of every state agency. She focused on education as well, introducing site-based management to put more power in the hands of the parents and teachers at the campus level. In the area of law enforcement, Richards increased prison space, cut the release of violent offenders, introduced a substance abuse program in Texas prisons, and opposed the sale of assault weapons and "cop-killer" bullets. Richards was also noted for her unprecedented appointments of women and minorities to important posts. During her administration a state lottery was approved and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was passed.

Great excitement surrounded the plans for the federal government to build a huge particle accelerator in Waxahachie. The superconducting supercollider was to be used by nuclear physicists to observe atomic structures. However, the program was ended in 1993 when government funding was stopped.

Later years: Richards worked as a consultant and served on several corporate boards. She died on September 13, 2006.

Handbook of Texas article about Governor Ann Richards

View Photographs of Governor Ann Richards
 

Speech on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Born: July 6, 1946, in New Haven, Connecticut

Early Career: The son of President George Herbert Walker Bush, George W. Bush grew up in Midland. He received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He served as an F-102 pilot for the Texas Air National Guard. He began his career in the oil and gas business in Midland in 1975 and worked in the energy industry until 1986. After working on his father's 1988 presidential campaign he assembled the group of partners that purchased the Texas Rangers baseball franchise in 1989 and which later built the Ballpark at Arlington. He served as managing general partner of the Texas Rangers until his election as governor.

Accomplishments: Bush became known for his ability to work with individuals of both parties in a non-confrontational manner, and thus he was able to please many constituencies in the state. His stance on crime, drugs, and the death penalty, along with large tax cuts and welfare reform with sterner work requirements, endeared him to conservatives. At the same time, Bush promoted substantial state spending on public education and bilingual programs, which pleased many Hispanics and other traditionally Democratic voters. His education measures also included testing as a means of ensuring teacher accountability and educational choice through charter schools. Bush won a smashing reelection victory in 1998.

The national Republican party took note and nominated Bush as their presidential candidate in 2000. Following an exceptionally difficult and controversial vote count, Bush became the first governor of Texas to be elected to the nation's highest office.

Later years: George W. Bush was inaugurated as the 43rd president of the United States on January 20, 2001.

View Photographs of Governor George W. Bush

Born: March 4, 1950, in Haskell County, Texas

Early Career: A fifth-generation Texan, Rick Perry grew up on the family ranch in Paint Creek, 60 miles north of Abilene. He earned a degree in animal science from Texas A&M University, then served in the U.S. Air Force for five years, seeing duty as a C-130 pilot in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. Leaving the service as a captain, Perry joined his father in the family farm and ranch business. He was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1984. He was elected agriculture commissioner in 1990 and served two terms. In 1998, he was elected lieutenant governor. When George W. Bush resigned his office to become president, Rick Perry became the governor of Texas.

Perry was elected governor in his own right in 2002. He was re-elected in 2006 and 2010.

Born: November 13, 1957 in Wichita Falls, Texas

Early Career: Abbott received a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in finance.  In 1984, he earned his J.D. frm the Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee.  He was appointed by then Texas governor George W. Bush to the Texas Supreme Court.  He served as Associate Justice from 1995 to 2001.  In 2001, he returned to private law pratice and worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law.  In 2002, Abbott was elected Attorney General of Texas, an office he served in from 2002 to 2015.

Abbott was elected governor in the 2014 election.  He assumed office on January 20, 2015.