Tryon D. Lewis
Encyclopedia
Tryon D. Lewis is an attorney in Odessa
, Texas
, who is a Republican
member of the Texas House of Representatives
from District 81 (Ector, Andrews, and Winkler
counties). He is also a former state court judge
.
in Winkler County
. The senior Lewis was descended from a pioneer ranching family from Fort Stockton
in Pecos County
. His work in the petroleum
exploration industry required several early moves for the Lewis family, who relocated in 1952 to Odessa in the oil-rich Permian Basin
. Tryon D. Lewis has two sisters, Barbara Southern and Ann Elizabeth Smith. Bud and Erma Lewis retired to Fort Stockton in 1980.
Lewis attended Odessa College
, a community college
, and received his Bachelor of Arts
degree from the University of Texas at Austin
. He obtained the Juris Doctor
degree from Baptist
-affiliated Baylor Law School
in Waco
, Texas. Since 1973, he has been a partner in the law firm Atkins, Hollman, Jones, Peacock, Lewis, and Lyon. From 1985-2006, he was judge of the 161st State District Court.
Lewis and his wife, Trudy Lynn Lewis (born ca. 1950), have two daughters, Eleanor R. Lewis and Annie Lewis. He previously served as chairman of the Ector County Republican Party and as president of the Republican Men's Club. He is a board member of the Ector County Independent School District Education Foundation, the Permian Playhouse, the Odessa Cultural Council, and Meals on Wheels
.
challenging an article in the magazine
that claims prison overcrowding in Texas stems from judges and juries sending convicted persons to the penitentiary
for trivial reasons. Lewis wrote:
"No state is more lenient toward criminals than Texas. Every criminal with no prior felony
conviction is eligible for probation
. There are eight different kinds of probation. . . . Forty-five percent of all prisoners are repeat offenders. Thus there are very few nonviolent first offenders in prison, and nearly all of those have already failed the court's attempt at alternative punishment. The convicts in prison are there because they deserve to be. [While prison cells are expensive], not providing those cells is far more expensive. . . . A typical multi-offender inmate will commit 187 crimes per year, for a total crime cost to society of $430,000. With this comparison, the $25,800 cost of imprisoning criminals seems reasonable."
George E. "Buddy" West
of Odessa in the 2008 Republican primary election
, Lewis led the field with 5,273 votes (44 percent) to West's 4,602 (38.4) percent. In the lower-turnout runoff primary, Lewis prevailed by a large margin, 5,181 (76 percent) to West's 1,637 (24 percent). Lewis was supported by then Speaker
of the Texas House Tom Craddick
of nearby Midland
, who at the time was at odds with West, his Republican colleague for the past fifteen years. Four anti-Craddick Republican legislators came to Odessa to campaign in the runoff for West. West died some two months after the runoff election. In 2009, as Lewis succeeded West, Craddick himself was deposed as Speaker by Joe Straus
of San Antonio
. Lewis and Craddick remain neighboring House colleagues from Districts 81 and 82, respectively, and neither had an opponent in the 2010 general election.
With his judicial background, Lewis serves on the House (1) Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence and (2) Public Safety committees. In the 2009 legislative session, Lewis supported the positions of Phyllis Schlafly
's Eagle Forum
71 percent of the time. He supported the positions of interest groups Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and the Texas Association of Business 85 percent and 90 percent of the time, respectively.
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
, 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...
, who is 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...
member of the Texas House of Representatives
Texas 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...
from District 81 (Ector, Andrews, and Winkler
Winkler County, Texas
Winkler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 7,173. Its county seat is Kermit. The county is named for Clinton M. Winkler, a Colonel in the Confederate Army....
counties). He is also a former state court judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
.
Early years, family, education
Lewis was born to Tryon E. "Bud" Lewis (1911–2003) and the former Erma Lea Beauchamp in KermitKermit, Texas
Kermit is a city in and the county seat of Winkler County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,708 at the 2010 census. The city was named for Kermit Roosevelt after a visit by his father Theodore Roosevelt to the county.-History: -Establishment:...
in Winkler County
Winkler County, Texas
Winkler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 7,173. Its county seat is Kermit. The county is named for Clinton M. Winkler, a Colonel in the Confederate Army....
. The senior Lewis was descended from a pioneer ranching family from Fort Stockton
Fort Stockton, Texas
Fort Stockton is a city in Pecos County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,846 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pecos County.-Geography:Fort Stockton is located at ....
in Pecos County
Pecos County, Texas
Pecos County is a county located in Texas which is named for the Pecos River. It is one of the nine counties that comprise the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. In 2000, its population was 16,809. The county seat is Fort Stockton....
. His work in the petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
exploration industry required several early moves for the Lewis family, who relocated in 1952 to Odessa in the oil-rich Permian Basin
Permian Basin
The Permian Basin is a sedimentary basin largely contained in the western part of the U.S. state of Texas and the southeastern part of the state of New Mexico. It reaches from just south of Lubbock, Texas, to just south of Midland and Odessa, extending westward into the southeastern part of the...
. Tryon D. Lewis has two sisters, Barbara Southern and Ann Elizabeth Smith. Bud and Erma Lewis retired to Fort Stockton in 1980.
Lewis attended Odessa College
Odessa College
Odessa College is a public two-year junior college based in Odessa, Texas, USA serving the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It opened in 1952 and currently enrolls about 5,000 annually in its university-parallel and occupational/technical courses, and 11,000 students annually in its...
, a community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
, and received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. He obtained the Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
-affiliated Baylor Law School
Baylor Law School
Founded in 1857, Baylor Law School is the oldest law school in Texas and has been accredited by the American Bar Association since 1931 and a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1938. Baylor Law School is affiliated with Baylor University and located in Waco, Texas...
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....
, Texas. Since 1973, he has been a partner in the law firm Atkins, Hollman, Jones, Peacock, Lewis, and Lyon. From 1985-2006, he was judge of the 161st State District Court.
Lewis and his wife, Trudy Lynn Lewis (born ca. 1950), have two daughters, Eleanor R. Lewis and Annie Lewis. He previously served as chairman of the Ector County Republican Party and as president of the Republican Men's Club. He is a board member of the Ector County Independent School District Education Foundation, the Permian Playhouse, the Odessa Cultural Council, and Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels are programs that deliver meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. The name is often used generically to refer to home-delivered meals programs, not all of which are actually named "Meals on Wheels"...
.
Judicial views
As the 161st district judge, Lewis wrote a letter in 1989 to Texas MonthlyTexas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
challenging an article in the magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
that claims prison overcrowding in Texas stems from judges and juries sending convicted persons to the penitentiary
Penitentiary
Penitentiary may refer to:* Prison or penitentiary, a correctional facility* Apostolic Penitentiary, a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Roman Catholic Church* Penitentiary...
for trivial reasons. Lewis wrote:
"No state is more lenient toward criminals than Texas. Every criminal with no prior felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
conviction is eligible for probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
. There are eight different kinds of probation. . . . Forty-five percent of all prisoners are repeat offenders. Thus there are very few nonviolent first offenders in prison, and nearly all of those have already failed the court's attempt at alternative punishment. The convicts in prison are there because they deserve to be. [While prison cells are expensive], not providing those cells is far more expensive. . . . A typical multi-offender inmate will commit 187 crimes per year, for a total crime cost to society of $430,000. With this comparison, the $25,800 cost of imprisoning criminals seems reasonable."
Legislative service
One of three candidates who challenged the ailing incumbentIncumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
George E. "Buddy" West
Buddy West
George E. "Buddy" West was a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Odessa, who was known for his staunch support of his hometown University of Texas of the Permian Basin...
of Odessa in the 2008 Republican primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, Lewis led the field with 5,273 votes (44 percent) to West's 4,602 (38.4) percent. In the lower-turnout runoff primary, Lewis prevailed by a large margin, 5,181 (76 percent) to West's 1,637 (24 percent). Lewis was supported by then Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
of the Texas House Tom Craddick
Tom Craddick
Thomas Russell Craddick, known as Tom Craddick , was the first Republican to have served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives since Reconstruction. Craddick wielded the Speaker's gavel from 2003-2009...
of nearby Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
, who at the time was at odds with West, his Republican colleague for the past fifteen years. Four anti-Craddick Republican legislators came to Odessa to campaign in the runoff for West. West died some two months after the runoff election. In 2009, as Lewis succeeded West, Craddick himself was deposed as Speaker by Joe Straus
Joe Straus
Joseph R. Straus, III, known as Joe Straus , is the current Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. He represents District 121, which comprises northeastern Bexar County, including part of San Antonio, Texas, and several surrounding communities...
of San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. Lewis and Craddick remain neighboring House colleagues from Districts 81 and 82, respectively, and neither had an opponent in the 2010 general election.
With his judicial background, Lewis serves on the House (1) Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence and (2) Public Safety committees. In the 2009 legislative session, Lewis supported the positions of Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly is a Constitutional lawyer and an American politically conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum. She is known for her opposition to modern feminism ideas and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment...
's Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum
Eagle Forum is a conservative interest group in the United States founded by Phyllis Schlafly in 1972 and is the parent organization that also includes the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund and the Eagle Forum PAC. The Eagle Forum has been primarily focused on social issues; it describes...
71 percent of the time. He supported the positions of interest groups Texans for Fiscal Responsibility and the Texas Association of Business 85 percent and 90 percent of the time, respectively.