Tom Craddick

When Tom Craddick was 25 years old, he decided to seek office in the Texas House of Representatives as a (party) from his hometown of Midland. At the time, Texas was a one-party state, and many thought him foolhardy. His father, R. F. Craddick, warned the young Ph.D. student at Texas Tech University against it. "Texas is run by Democrats," he told him. "You can´t win." But Craddick proved his father and many others wrong, and was elected as one of only nine (party) in the 150-seat House. His tenure has been characterized by landmark events. His initial years at the Capitol were focused on revitalizing the Texas GOP, but in 1971 he gained respect from both sides when he joined a bipartisan group of reformists dubbed "The Dirty 30" that was pushing for changes in House Ethics. In 1975, Speaker Bill Clayton appointed Craddick as the first (party) committee chairman in 100 years, and he continued to hold chairmanships under Clayton´s successors, Gib Lewis and Pete Laney. On January 11, 2003 he made state history when, subsequent to his 34-year tenure in the Texas House of Representatives, he became the first (party) Speaker—after helping gain the (party) Majority in the House-for the…