Bob Bullock
Encyclopedia
Robert Douglas Bullock, known as Bob Bullock (July 10, 1929 – June 18, 1999), was a Democratic
politician
from Texas
, whose career spanned four decade
s. His service culminated in his term as Lieutenant Governor of Texas
from January 15, 1991–January 19, 1999 during the terms of Governor
s Ann Richards
and George W. Bush
.
in the 1950s. After a stint as an assistant attorney general and in the private practice of law, Bullock returned to public life when he was appointed secretary of state
, the state's chief elections and records officer, by Governor
Preston Smith. Bullock soon left the post to prepare for a statewide race for state Comptroller
in the 1974 Democratic primary. Under Texas law, a secretary of state must resign in order to run for another office, a practice not required in most states and served for the first of four 4-year consecutive terms for sixteen years.
Bullock, before he was widely known, was one of the few Texas Democrats to chastize John Connally
for his party switch in 1973. In 1998, Bullock himself would urge the reelection of a Republican
, then-Governor Bush.
es that had been previously uncollected for many years. The tax officials doing such duties became known as "Bullock raiders." Bullock was also the first elected state official to adopt an equal opportunity
employment program. Bullock held the comptroller's office from 1975–1991. His tenure as Comptroller was marked by a series of innovations for that office and state government. He was among the first elected officials to use computer technology in state government to cut costs and improve productivity. He was the winner of numerous national awards for his management skills as Comptroller including the Leon Rothenberg Taxpayer Service Award. During his sixteen years in office, Bullock was generally credited for turning the Comptroller's office into an effective government agency and a tremendous asset in managing the finance of Texas government. He pledged fair but aggressive audits as Comptroller and made statewide headlines with a long series of "raids" on businesses who had collected state taxes from customers but did not turn them into the state.
As an outgrowth of his tax collecting efforts, the term "Bullock's Raiders" entered the Texas government lexicon. As Comptroller of Public Accounts, his frequent and increasingly accurate forecasts on state finances allowed the Texas Legislature to better budget for state expenditures. He also developed a Taxpayers Bill of Rights to guarantee that Texas taxpayers were treated with fairness, courtesy and common sense. Bullock was re-elected overwhelmingly in 1978, 1982, and 1986 by landslide margins and although Bullock refused to seek the governorship during the 1980s, he saw his eyes on the lieutenant governorship when the longtime incumbent William P. "Bill" Hobby, Jr. of Houston chose not to seek re-election to a sixth term and Bullock quickly announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor in September 1987.
(53% to 44%) to succeed the retiring Hobby, taking office on January 15, 1991. In 1994, Bullock was easily re-elected to a second four-year term as lieutenant governor defeating Republican Harold "Tex" Lezar (61% to 38%)and was inaugurated on January 17, 1995 while Republican George W. Bush
was sworn-in as the 46th Governor of Texas
having defeated the Democratic incumbent Ann Richards
during the 1994 gubernatorial campaign. He did not seek re-election to a third term in 1998, being succeeded by Republican Agriculture Commissioner (and current Governor) Rick Perry
on January 19, 1999.
Serving as Texas' 38th Lieutenant Governor from January 15, 1991 to January 19, 1999, Bullock favored a hands-on management style that he carried onto the lieutenant governor's office and resulted in numerous achievements as the presiding officer of the Texas Senate
. Bullock overhauled the ethics laws during his first term in an effort to restore public confidence in state government. He created the Texas Performance Review for the State Comptroller to analyze spending at state agencies and recommended cost-saving alternatives. He helped consolidate all environmental agencies into one department in an effort to better serve Texans and protecting the state's natural resources. As the state's second-highest elected statewide officeholder, Bullock aggressively pushed through a constitutional amendment requiring voter approval before a state personal income tax can be enacted and requiring the money be earmarked for education, if voters approve the tax. He led efforts to modernize the Texas tax system and worked on state problems in tort reform, health and juvenile justice. Bullock was instrumental in finding a legislative solution to get Texas out of federal court lawsuits involving prisons and mental health. He was a leader in legislative efforts to revamp the state's educational funding system and ushered through a law that created the state's first comprehensive water conservation and management plan, and promoted establishing a state museum in the Capitol Complex. Lawmakers during the 76th Legislature voted to name the museum after him for his work on the project.
As Lieutenant Governor, he professed a nonpartisan approach to lawmaking, often telling members of the Texas Senate
to leave their politics at the door. Bullock and Bush got along well, in part because Bullock got to lead an increasingly Republican legislature to agree to key laws and policies and "when they passed, Bullock and House Speaker Pete Laney
allowed Bush to claim some credit." Bullock unofficially endorsed Republican Governor Bush's presidential campaign even before it got off the ground. At a November 8, 2006, post-election press conference, a reporter from the Austin American-Statesman
, who had covered Bush's tenure as governor, asked Bush if he thought then U.S. House Speaker
-elect Nancy Pelosi
resembled Bullock. The President replied that the reporter's question was an inside joke. The question was a thinly-veiled reference to the close working relationship, well-known in Texas, to have existed between Republican Bush and Democrat Bullock; the reporter apparently was asking whether Bush would be capable of forging a similar bipartisan relationship with the members of the new Democratic legislative majority in the U. S. Congress.
Bullock was renowned for his blunt and sometimes politically incorrect speaking style, but also for his trademark closing line "God bless Texas." A lover of Texas history
, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Texas State History Museum, located just to the north of the State Capitol in Austin. Opened to the public on April 21, 2001 (San Jacinto Day) after Bullock's death, it was named in his honor. The second-floor lobby of the museum features a seven-foot-tall bronze statue of Bullock holding a giant gavel, next to a gallery of items and a video from his career in politics.
. He received his bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University
in Lubbock
in 1955 and held a law degree from Baylor University
in Waco
. His political papers are housed in the Baylor Collection of Political Materials. Bullock also served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War
. Bullock's adult life was marred by alcoholism
and divorce
; he had a total of five marriage
s, although some of them were repeats. He stopped drinking in 1981 and remained active with Alcoholics Anonymous
for the remainder of his life. Bullock died in Austin of cancer
and is interred there at the Texas State Cemetery
.
An Interstate 35
loop in Laredo
is named in Bullock's honor. The Laredo Energy Arena is located just off the Bob Bullock Loop.
Bullock Gravesite at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin
Texas State Historical Association Online of Bullock's biography and accomplishments
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, whose career spanned four decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....
s. His service culminated in his term as Lieutenant Governor of Texas
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
from January 15, 1991–January 19, 1999 during the terms of Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
s Ann Richards
Ann Richards
Dorothy Ann Willis Richards was an American politician from Texas. She first came to national attention as the state treasurer of Texas, when she delivered the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Richards served as the 45th Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995 and was...
and George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
Political career
Bullock began his career in public service as a member of the Texas House of RepresentativesTexas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
in the 1950s. After a stint as an assistant attorney general and in the private practice of law, Bullock returned to public life when he was appointed secretary of state
Secretary of State of Texas
The Secretary of State of Texas is one of six state officials designated by the Texas Constitution to form the executive department of that U.S. state...
, the state's chief elections and records officer, by Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Preston Smith. Bullock soon left the post to prepare for a statewide race for state Comptroller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
in the 1974 Democratic primary. Under Texas law, a secretary of state must resign in order to run for another office, a practice not required in most states and served for the first of four 4-year consecutive terms for sixteen years.
Bullock, before he was widely known, was one of the few Texas Democrats to chastize John Connally
John Connally
John Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in...
for his party switch in 1973. In 1998, Bullock himself would urge the reelection of a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, then-Governor Bush.
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
As state comptroller, Bullock was noted for his modernization of the office and for collecting certain taxTax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es that had been previously uncollected for many years. The tax officials doing such duties became known as "Bullock raiders." Bullock was also the first elected state official to adopt an equal opportunity
Equal opportunity
Equal opportunity, or equality of opportunity, is a controversial political concept; and an important informal decision-making standard without a precise definition involving fair choices within the public sphere...
employment program. Bullock held the comptroller's office from 1975–1991. His tenure as Comptroller was marked by a series of innovations for that office and state government. He was among the first elected officials to use computer technology in state government to cut costs and improve productivity. He was the winner of numerous national awards for his management skills as Comptroller including the Leon Rothenberg Taxpayer Service Award. During his sixteen years in office, Bullock was generally credited for turning the Comptroller's office into an effective government agency and a tremendous asset in managing the finance of Texas government. He pledged fair but aggressive audits as Comptroller and made statewide headlines with a long series of "raids" on businesses who had collected state taxes from customers but did not turn them into the state.
As an outgrowth of his tax collecting efforts, the term "Bullock's Raiders" entered the Texas government lexicon. As Comptroller of Public Accounts, his frequent and increasingly accurate forecasts on state finances allowed the Texas Legislature to better budget for state expenditures. He also developed a Taxpayers Bill of Rights to guarantee that Texas taxpayers were treated with fairness, courtesy and common sense. Bullock was re-elected overwhelmingly in 1978, 1982, and 1986 by landslide margins and although Bullock refused to seek the governorship during the 1980s, he saw his eyes on the lieutenant governorship when the longtime incumbent William P. "Bill" Hobby, Jr. of Houston chose not to seek re-election to a sixth term and Bullock quickly announced his candidacy for Lieutenant Governor in September 1987.
Lieutenant Governorship
In 1990, he was easily elected Lieutenant Governor, defeating Republican Robert Mosbacher, Jr.Robert Mosbacher, Jr.
Robert Adam Mosbacher, Jr. is a Houston businessman and is the former head of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation , a US government agency aimed at promoting development by working with the private sector. Nominated by President George W. Bush, Mr...
(53% to 44%) to succeed the retiring Hobby, taking office on January 15, 1991. In 1994, Bullock was easily re-elected to a second four-year term as lieutenant governor defeating Republican Harold "Tex" Lezar (61% to 38%)and was inaugurated on January 17, 1995 while Republican George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
was sworn-in as the 46th Governor of Texas
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
having defeated the Democratic incumbent Ann Richards
Ann Richards
Dorothy Ann Willis Richards was an American politician from Texas. She first came to national attention as the state treasurer of Texas, when she delivered the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Richards served as the 45th Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995 and was...
during the 1994 gubernatorial campaign. He did not seek re-election to a third term in 1998, being succeeded by Republican Agriculture Commissioner (and current Governor) Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
on January 19, 1999.
Serving as Texas' 38th Lieutenant Governor from January 15, 1991 to January 19, 1999, Bullock favored a hands-on management style that he carried onto the lieutenant governor's office and resulted in numerous achievements as the presiding officer of the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
. Bullock overhauled the ethics laws during his first term in an effort to restore public confidence in state government. He created the Texas Performance Review for the State Comptroller to analyze spending at state agencies and recommended cost-saving alternatives. He helped consolidate all environmental agencies into one department in an effort to better serve Texans and protecting the state's natural resources. As the state's second-highest elected statewide officeholder, Bullock aggressively pushed through a constitutional amendment requiring voter approval before a state personal income tax can be enacted and requiring the money be earmarked for education, if voters approve the tax. He led efforts to modernize the Texas tax system and worked on state problems in tort reform, health and juvenile justice. Bullock was instrumental in finding a legislative solution to get Texas out of federal court lawsuits involving prisons and mental health. He was a leader in legislative efforts to revamp the state's educational funding system and ushered through a law that created the state's first comprehensive water conservation and management plan, and promoted establishing a state museum in the Capitol Complex. Lawmakers during the 76th Legislature voted to name the museum after him for his work on the project.
As Lieutenant Governor, he professed a nonpartisan approach to lawmaking, often telling members of the Texas Senate
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing 31 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 672,000 per constituency. There are no term limits, and each term is four years long. The Senate meets at the...
to leave their politics at the door. Bullock and Bush got along well, in part because Bullock got to lead an increasingly Republican legislature to agree to key laws and policies and "when they passed, Bullock and House Speaker Pete Laney
Pete Laney
James E. "Pete" Laney is a U.S. Democratic Party politician from West Texas. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for 34 years from Hale Center . Laney served as Speaker for ten years from 1993 to 2003, a record matching that set by his predecessor, fellow Democrat Gibson D...
allowed Bush to claim some credit." Bullock unofficially endorsed Republican Governor Bush's presidential campaign even before it got off the ground. At a November 8, 2006, post-election press conference, a reporter from the Austin American-Statesman
Austin American-Statesman
The Austin American-Statesman is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is an award-winning publication owned by Cox Enterprises. The Newspaper places focus on issues affecting Austin and the Central Texas region....
, who had covered Bush's tenure as governor, asked Bush if he thought then U.S. House Speaker
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
-elect Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
resembled Bullock. The President replied that the reporter's question was an inside joke. The question was a thinly-veiled reference to the close working relationship, well-known in Texas, to have existed between Republican Bush and Democrat Bullock; the reporter apparently was asking whether Bush would be capable of forging a similar bipartisan relationship with the members of the new Democratic legislative majority in the U. S. Congress.
Bullock was renowned for his blunt and sometimes politically incorrect speaking style, but also for his trademark closing line "God bless Texas." A lover of Texas history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, he was instrumental in the establishment of the Texas State History Museum, located just to the north of the State Capitol in Austin. Opened to the public on April 21, 2001 (San Jacinto Day) after Bullock's death, it was named in his honor. The second-floor lobby of the museum features a seven-foot-tall bronze statue of Bullock holding a giant gavel, next to a gallery of items and a video from his career in politics.
Personal life
Born in Hillsboro, Bullock attended Hill College, a junior collegeJunior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
. He received his bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
in 1955 and held a law degree from Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
in Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
. His political papers are housed in the Baylor Collection of Political Materials. Bullock also served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Bullock's adult life was marred by alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
; he had a total of five marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
s, although some of them were repeats. He stopped drinking in 1981 and remained active with Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
for the remainder of his life. Bullock died in Austin of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and is interred there at the Texas State Cemetery
Texas State Cemetery
The Texas State Cemetery is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, the capital of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revolutionary general and Vice-President of the Republic of Texas, it was expanded into a Confederate cemetery during the Civil War...
.
An Interstate 35
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 is a north–south Interstate Highway in the central United States. I-35 stretches from Laredo, Texas, on the U.S.-Mexico border to Duluth, Minnesota, at Minnesota Highway 61 and 26th Avenue East. Many interstates used to have splits or spurs indicated with suffixed letters , but I-35...
loop in Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
is named in Bullock's honor. The Laredo Energy Arena is located just off the Bob Bullock Loop.
External Links
Bob Bullock Story & Papers from Baylor UniversityBullock Gravesite at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin
Texas State Historical Association Online of Bullock's biography and accomplishments