David Swinford
Encyclopedia
David Anthony Swinford is an agricultural
consultant from the Texas Panhandle
and a former member of the Texas House of Representatives
. He represented District 88 from 1991 to 1993 and then District 88, which currently icludes Carson
, Moore, and Sherman, and Potter counties.
Swinford did not seek an eleventh term in the state House in the Republican
primary election
held on March 2, 2010. His successor, fellow Republican Walter Thomas Price, IV
, known as Four Price, is a attorney from Amarillo
. Before winning the general election
held on November 2, 2010, Price had defeated an intraparty rival, Victor Leal, an Amarillo restaurateur
and the former mayor
of Muleshoe
, the seat of Bailey County
, Texas.
, Texas. His brother, Jerry Swinford (1936–2011), a former field representative for the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, was at the time of his death the president of the Lubbock Retired Fire Fighters' Association in Lubbock
, Texas. Swinford obtained a Bachelor of Science
degree in agricultural education from Texas Tech University
in Lubbock. He is married to the former Joyce McCoy (born 1943). They have a son, David C. Swinford (born 1965) of Lubbock, and a daughter, Melissa Rae Swinford (born 1967) of Dumas. Swinford has a nephew, Van Swinford of Dumas, the son of Jerry Swinford. Another brother, Sammy Allen Swinford, is deceased, as is Swinford's niece, Sheila Swinford Wright (1951–2008) of Lubbock, the daughter of Sammy Swinford.
in Hemphill County, who ran unsuccessfully as his party's nominee for the United States House of Representatives
, having been defeated by the incumbent Democrat Bill Sarpalius
of Amarillo
.
In 1992, Swinford won his second state House election by having defeated the Democrat Bonnie Schomp, 17,897 (54.9 percent) to 14,720 (45.1 percent). The two candidates virtually tied in Potter County, but Swinford's home base in Moore County put him over the top. In 2002, Swinford defeated the Democrat Jesse Quackenbush, 17,086 (65.8 percent) to 8,872 (34.2 percent). He was unopposed in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, and 2006.
Swinford chaired the House State Affairs Committee. Leo Berman
, a Tyler
Republican, complained publicly in May 2007 that Swinford had refused to consider any of a series of immigration
restriction bills that he had offered. He claimed that illegal immigration costs Texas taxpayers $3.5 billion per year and creates havoc in hospital emergency rooms.
Swinford previously headed the Texas House Agriculture & Livestock Committee. An advocate of rural development
, Swinford was first elected to the Texas House in 1990. The Panhandle is a heavily Republican section of Texas: only one Democrat in the Texas House, Joseph P. Heflin
of Crosbyton
, represented West Texas in the chamber, and he was unseated in 2010 by the Republican Jim Landtroop
.
Swinford resides in Dumas
, the seat of Moore County, some fifty miles north of Amarillo.
to separate Texas from Mexico
. Swinford went to the Rio Grande River to confer with local officials and observe conditions. He reported that the longstanding free flow of goods and services across the border would be hampered by a fence, which he otherwise claimed would not particularly enhance security.
Other conservatives, such as those in the interest group known as Americans for Prosperity, quarreled with Swinford in 2007, when he failed to get out of his State Affairs Committee House Bill 1753, which would have barred such groups as the Texas Association of Counties and the Texas Municipal League from lobbying the legislature with taxpayer dollars.
In 1999, Swinford received the Knapp-Porter Award, the highest honor given by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. The award was presented at Texas A&M University
in College Station
to honor Swinford for his support of the Extension Service, which handles the 4-H
program, particularly popular in rural areas.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
consultant from the Texas Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
and a former 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...
. He represented District 88 from 1991 to 1993 and then District 88, which currently icludes Carson
Carson County, Texas
Carson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Amarillo metropolitan area. In 2000, its population was 6,516. Carson is named for Samuel Price Carson, the first secretary of state of the Republic of Texas. The seat of the county is Panhandle. It was founded in...
, Moore, and Sherman, and Potter counties.
Swinford did not seek an eleventh term in the state House in the 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...
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....
held on March 2, 2010. His successor, fellow Republican Walter Thomas Price, IV
Four Price
Walter Thomas Price, IV, , known as Four Price because he is the fourth generation in his family to bear the name Walter Thomas Price, is an attorney from Amarillo, Texas, who is the Republican state representative from District 87 in the Texas Panhandle...
, known as Four Price, is a attorney from Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
. Before winning the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
held on November 2, 2010, Price had defeated an intraparty rival, Victor Leal, an Amarillo restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
and the former mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Muleshoe
Muleshoe, Texas
Muleshoe is a small city in Bailey County, Texas, United States. The town of Muleshoe was founded in 1913 when the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway built an line from Farwell, Texas to Lubbock through northern Bailey County. In 1926, Muleshoe was incorporated. The population was 5,158 at the 2010...
, the seat of Bailey County
Bailey County, Texas
Bailey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2010, the population is 7,165. Its county seat is Muleshoe. Bailey is named for Peter James Bailey, a defender of the Alamo...
, Texas.
Background
Swinford was born to the late Oley Earl and Hazel Alene Swinford, formerly of Wichita FallsWichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
, Texas. His brother, Jerry Swinford (1936–2011), a former field representative for the Texas Commission on Fire Protection, was at the time of his death the president of the Lubbock Retired Fire Fighters' Association 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...
, Texas. Swinford obtained a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in agricultural education 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. He is married to the former Joyce McCoy (born 1943). They have a son, David C. Swinford (born 1965) of Lubbock, and a daughter, Melissa Rae Swinford (born 1967) of Dumas. Swinford has a nephew, Van Swinford of Dumas, the son of Jerry Swinford. Another brother, Sammy Allen Swinford, is deceased, as is Swinford's niece, Sheila Swinford Wright (1951–2008) of Lubbock, the daughter of Sammy Swinford.
Political career
Swinford was first elected to the Texas House in 1990 to succeed fellow Republican Dick Waterfield, a rancher from CanadianCanadian, Texas
Canadian is the county seat of Hemphill County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,233 at the 2000 census. It is named for the Canadian River, a tributary of the nearby Arkansas River. Canadian is sometimes called "the oasis of the Texas Panhandle."-History:The trails along the river are...
in Hemphill County, who ran unsuccessfully as his party's nominee for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, having been defeated by the incumbent Democrat Bill Sarpalius
Bill Sarpalius
William "Bill" Sarpalius is a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, having represented from 1989 to 1995 District 13, which covers the Texas Panhandle eastward to Wichita Falls, Texas....
of Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
.
In 1992, Swinford won his second state House election by having defeated the Democrat Bonnie Schomp, 17,897 (54.9 percent) to 14,720 (45.1 percent). The two candidates virtually tied in Potter County, but Swinford's home base in Moore County put him over the top. In 2002, Swinford defeated the Democrat Jesse Quackenbush, 17,086 (65.8 percent) to 8,872 (34.2 percent). He was unopposed in 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, and 2006.
Swinford chaired the House State Affairs Committee. Leo Berman
Leo Berman
Leo C. Berman is a retired businessman and military officer who has been a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 6 since January 1999. Berman announced a challenge to Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio for the presiding officer's position in January 2011...
, a Tyler
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
Republican, complained publicly in May 2007 that Swinford had refused to consider any of a series of immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
restriction bills that he had offered. He claimed that illegal immigration costs Texas taxpayers $3.5 billion per year and creates havoc in hospital emergency rooms.
Swinford previously headed the Texas House Agriculture & Livestock Committee. An advocate of rural development
Rural development
Rural development in general denotes economic development and community development actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-urban neighbourhoods, remote villages and the countryside...
, Swinford was first elected to the Texas House in 1990. The Panhandle is a heavily Republican section of Texas: only one Democrat in the Texas House, Joseph P. Heflin
Joseph P. Heflin
Joseph Paul Heflin, known as Joe Heflin , is a departing Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 85 in the South Plains...
of Crosbyton
Crosbyton, Texas
Crosbyton is a city in and the county seat of Crosby County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,874 at the 2000 census. Crosbyton is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, represented West Texas in the chamber, and he was unseated in 2010 by the Republican Jim Landtroop
Jim Landtroop
James Franklin Landtroop, Jr., known as Jim Landtroop , is a businessman from Plainview, Texas, who is an in incoming Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 85 in the South Plains. In the general election held on November 2, 2010, Landtroop handily unseated two-term...
.
Swinford resides in Dumas
Dumas, Texas
Dumas is a city in Moore County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,747 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Moore County. Located approximately fifty miles north of Amarillo, the city is named for...
, the seat of Moore County, some fifty miles north of Amarillo.
Issues
Though he was generally considered a conservative in the legislature through his support of right-to-life measures and home schooling — his grandchildren have been educated at home — Swinford announced in 2006 that he no longer supports the construction of a border fenceFence
A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. It is generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction: a wall is usually restricted to such barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage .Fences...
to separate Texas from Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Swinford went to the Rio Grande River to confer with local officials and observe conditions. He reported that the longstanding free flow of goods and services across the border would be hampered by a fence, which he otherwise claimed would not particularly enhance security.
Other conservatives, such as those in the interest group known as Americans for Prosperity, quarreled with Swinford in 2007, when he failed to get out of his State Affairs Committee House Bill 1753, which would have barred such groups as the Texas Association of Counties and the Texas Municipal League from lobbying the legislature with taxpayer dollars.
In 1999, Swinford received the Knapp-Porter Award, the highest honor given by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. The award was presented at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
in College Station
College Station, Texas
College Station is a city in Brazos County, Texas, situated in East Central Texas in the heart of the Brazos Valley. The city is located within the most populated region of Texas, near three of the 10 largest cities in the United States - Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio...
to honor Swinford for his support of the Extension Service, which handles the 4-H
4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
program, particularly popular in rural areas.
External links
- David Swinford
- http://blogs.chron.com/texaspolitics/archives/2007/05/gop_leader_says.html
- http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3556840907229737732&hl=en