Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst is a native Texan, proud veteran,
successful businessman, and rancher. He serves as President of the Texas
Senate and is proud of the broad support he has earned during his tenure.
Through four Regular Sessions and seven Special Sessions of the
Legislature, Lt. Governor Dewhurst has worked to pass legislation to create
new jobs and economic opportunity, improve schools, and protect public
safety. In 2007, Dewhurst led the effort to pass one of the toughest
Jessica's Laws in the nation. The law, part of Dewhurst's Texas Children
First initiative, imposes tough, new penalties against child predators,
including the death penalty as an option for the most violent repeat
offenders.
A fiscal conservative, Dewhurst has worked to balance four budgets while
holding state spending below the rate of inflation plus population growth.
These conservative budgets have helped the state's economy grow faster than
the national economy and create one million new jobs in Texas over the last
six years
Lt. Governor Dewhurst believes every child in Texas deserves a quality
education. In 2006, as Dewhurst led the Senate to approve $14 billion in
local school property tax cuts, he fought successfully to raise teacher
salaries and educational standards, increase accountability, and reduce
drop-out rates. To make university study affordable, Dewhurst worked to pass
the "B-on-Time Loan Program," which provides college students with
zero-interest, forgivable loans if they graduate on time with at least a "B"
average.
The Dallas Morning News called Dewhurst's first term leading the Senate
"a demonstration of steadiness, resolve and consensus building." The Houston
Chronicle has called Dewhurst "an exceptional leader."
As Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office, where he served from
1999-2002, Dewhurst reduced the workforce and budget, and turned back money
each of two biennia to Texas' taxpayers. He certified almost $1 billion in
below-market interest rate loans to veterans to honor their service and to
stimulate the Texas economy, and helped protect the environment and increase
tourism by restoring Texas' beaches and bays.
In the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks, Dewhurst was
appointed by Governor Rick Perry as Chairman of the Governor's Task Force on
Homeland Security.
Dewhurst began his business career in the mid-1970s after serving as an
officer in the U.S. Air Force, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the U.S.
State Department. He founded Falcon Seaboard, a Texas-based diversified
energy and investments company. An early developer in the mid-1980s in the
electric cogeneration business, he has earned a reputation as an innovative
and successful businessman.
Dewhurst has been a long time community and civic leader in his hometown
of Houston, where he has served on civic and charitable boards. He earned
his BA degree from the University of Arizona, where he played college
basketball. Dewhurst rides cutting horses in National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA) and
American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) competitions. Dewhurst is honorary
Vice President of the AQHA. He is married to Patricia Hamilton Dewhurst, an
attorney in Houston.