User:HawkNightingale175/sandbox
Rick Martin | |
|---|---|
 Official White House portrait, 2001 | |
| 43rd President of the United States | |
| In office January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009 | |
| Vice President | Alan Keyes |
| Preceded by | Bill Clinton |
| Succeeded by | Hillary Clinton |
| 45th Governor of Texas | |
| In office January 15, 1991 – January 20, 2001 | |
| Lieutenant | Brian C. McMinn |
| Preceded by | Bill Clements |
| Succeeded by | Brian C. McMinn |
| 38th Lieutenant Governor of Texas | |
| In office April 27, 1989 – January 15, 1991 | |
| Governor | Bill Clements |
| Preceded by | William P. Hobby Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Brian C. McMinn |
| Insurance Commissioner of Texas | |
| In office January 3, 1985 – April 27, 1989 | |
| Governor | Mark White Bill Clements |
| Preceded by | E.J. Voorhis |
| Succeeded by | Frank McDonald |
| Member of the Texas Board of Insurance | |
| In office January 8, 1979 – January 3, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick Griggs |
| Succeeded by | Stanley A. Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Byron Martinez April 14, 1948 Tyler, Texas US |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Gina Elizabeth Ritchie (m. 1971) |
| Relations | Byron Martinez (father) Catherine McCluskey (mother) |
| Children | Sophie Graci |
| Alma mater | Mays Business School (BBA) |
| Occupation | Insurace agent |
Rick Martin (born Richard Byron Martinez, April 14, 1948) is an American former statesman who served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the 45th Governor of Texas.
Born and raised in Tyler, Texas, Martin attended Texas A&M University where he studied business administration, and upon his graduation pursued an insurance career. He first rose to political prominence in the state of Texas as a member of the Texas Board of Insurance, eventually becoming its director. He was eventually elected Governor of Texas in 1990, succeeding Bill Clements. Martin was elected for three terms as governor, before running for the 2000 Republican Party nomination for President, winning the nomination and defeating the Democratic candidate Al Gore in a close general election.
Despite initial campaign promises to focus on domestic policy, Martin's presidency was met with intense foreign pressure, beginning with the September 11 attacks of 2001. His decision to negotiate with the Taliban government of Afghanistan to hand over those responsible for the attacks to the United States as opposed to military intervention was met with extreme controversy and saw him nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, which he did not win. Rolling back on the interventionist foreign policy of his predecessor, Bill Clinton, Martin's presidency was marked with the decreased presence of U.S. troops abroad and the transfer of overseas American military bases to their respective countries.
Domestically, Martin pursued fiscally conservative economic policies, signing a series of major tax cuts into law. He was largely apathetic towards federal emphasis on and advancement of social issues. Martin's presidency saw a shift away from the social conservatism that had previously gained momentum during the Republican presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and were championed by some influential Republican donors and lawmakers.
Early life and education
[edit]The second of four children, Richard Byron Martinez was born on April 14, 1948 in Tyler, Texas. His father, Byron Charles Martinez (1920-1971) had served in the United States Navy during World War II, and was the founder of a locally successful tire company in Tyler. Richard's mother, Catherine Elizabeth McCluskey (1922-1995) was a cook who worked in various school and business cafeterias. Martinez is one-fourth Tejano from his paternal grandfather's side, and is also of Scotch-Irish, Irish Catholic, and German descent. While his father was baptized a Roman Catholic, Martinez himself was raised in his mother's Baptist faith, attending primary school at Tyler's First Baptist Church. From 1962 to 1966, Martinez attended Tyler High School, a secular public school.
In 1968, after working for two years as a salesperson for his father's tire company, Martinez enrolled at Texas A&M University. Initially intending to study horticulture, Martinez soon became attracted to the prospect of a business career, and enrolled at Texas A&M's Mays Business School. During his time at Texas A&M, Martinez was also a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. It was also in college that Martinez began to go by the last name of "Martin"; despite later claims that this was done to cover up his Tejano roots, Martin has never addressed the exact reasoning behind this change.
While in college, Martin became acquainted with Elmer J. Voorhis (1919-1991), a prominent businessman who had taught several courses at Mays Business School. After graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1972, Martin, through Collingsworth's own business connections, was able to secure the position of Director of Sales at Tyler's Bergfeld Insurance Agency. Martin later spoke of Voorhis: "I may not have ascended to perhaps the world's highest office had I not, as a young man, become acquainted with [Voorhis] all those years ago."
In 1977, Martin was awarded the Smith County Outstanding Citizenship Award for "Exceptional leadership in business as director of the Bergfeld Insurance Agency."
Ascension in Texas politics (1978-1990)
[edit]Texas Board of Insurance
[edit]E.J. Voorhis had secured an appointment to Commissioner of the Texas Board of Insurance after financing the successful 1978 Texas gubernatorial campaign of Bill Clements. Voorhis was also able to convince Clements to approve of the appointment of Martin to the board