Garry Mauro
Encyclopedia
Garry Mauro is an American
Democratic Party
politician from Texas
, most noted for being the four-term commissioner of the Texas General Land Office from 1983 to 1999 during the administrations of Governors Mark White, Bill Clements
, Ann Richards
, and George W. Bush
and for losing the 1998 Texas gubernatorial election
to Bush, who at that time was the incumbent governor seeking re-election.
Mauro, a native of Bryan, Texas
, attended Waco, Texas
Reicher Catholic High School
. He attended college at Texas A&M University
in College Station
. He subsequently attended the University of Texas Law School.
Mauro went to work for United States Senator Ralph Yarborough
after graduation from law school. He became Executive Director of the Texas Democratic Party
by the time he was 30.
At 34 in 1982, he was elected to the statewide office of Texas Land Commissioner. Despite being targeted for defeat by the state Republican Party
, he was re-elected three times.
Mauro became the second longest-serving Land Commissioner in Texas history serving a total of 16 years in office. He is credited by many for bringing new relevance to the office and taking the lead on important issues, including many environmental initiatives.
In 1989, the Texas Legislature approved a Mauro initiative to reduce air pollution
and to sell more natural gas
. The bill requires fleet operators in larger cities to convert to clean-burning fuels, including compressed natural gas during the next ten years. Mauro has succeeded in gaining similar legislation at the federal level in the Clean Air Act
.
Also in 1989, the Legislature passed a bill pushed by Mauro to facilitate the recycling
of plastics. The bill requires manufacturers to code their plastic items according to resins used.
Mauro convinced the U.S. Senate to ratify the Annex V provision of the MARPOL Treaty
, which outlaws the dumping of plastic items in the world’s oceans. His main objective was to help clean up the Gulf of Mexico
and reduce beach litter. His efforts also have resulted in the International Maritime Organization
designating the Gulf and the
“Wider Caribbean
” as a “special area” to prohibit ships from dumping anything in the Gulf, with the exception of finely-ground food scraps.
In 1991 Mauro played a key role in gaining passage of the Oil Spill Prevention & Response Act which makes the land office the lead state agency for spills in state waters, and coastal management legislation which gives the Land Office a strong hand in matters of environmental consequence along the coast.
The 1991 omnibus recycling bill backed by Mauro requires state purchasers to give preference to goods made of recycled materials, set a state goal of recycling 40 percent of the garbage stream, provided for development of standards for collection of household hazardous wastes, and for the recycling of old tires and batteries and used motor oil. The Land Office made a statewide marketing study to facilitate the development of recycling businesses in the state.
As chairman of the Veteran’s Land Board, Mauro pushed legislation passed in 1991 that expanded the investment authority of the board and provided for increased loan ceiling for land and housing. The program was expanded to include certain National Guard personnel. He moved for exceptionally low interest rates, which led to a record number of housing loans for Texas veterans. In 1993, Mauro campaigned to gain voter approval of an additional $500 million in bonds for veterans housing loans and $250 million in bonds for land loans.
After leaving office in 1999, he was appointed to the Fannie Mae
Board of Directors by President Bill Clinton
.
In 1992
, he served as the Texas State Chairman for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. He took on the same role in 1996
for Clinton-Gore
, in 2000
for Al Gore (as a co-chairman) and in 2004
for Dick Gephardt
. In 2008, he served as the Texas State Director for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
He is referenced in Bill Clinton's 2004 memoir My Life
. Mauro met the future President and First Lady in 1972 while working on George McGovern
's presidential campaign in Austin.
Mauro is the author of the memoir Beaches, Bureaucrats & Big Oil: One Man's Fight for Texas. The book was published in 1997.
Mauro currently practices private law
in Austin
, Texas.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Democratic Party
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 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...
, most noted for being the four-term commissioner of the Texas General Land Office from 1983 to 1999 during the administrations of Governors Mark White, Bill Clements
Bill Clements
William Perry "Bill" Clements, Jr. was the 42nd and 44th Governor of Texas, serving from 1979 to 1983 and 1987 to 1991. Clements was the first Republican to have served as governor of the U.S. state of Texas since Reconstruction...
, 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....
and for losing the 1998 Texas gubernatorial election
Texas gubernatorial election, 1998
The 1998 Texas gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998 to select the governor of the state of Texas. Incumbent George W. Bush of the Republican Party was re-elected, carrying 240 out of 254 counties and garnering 27 percent of the African American vote and 40 percent...
to Bush, who at that time was the incumbent governor seeking re-election.
Mauro, a native of Bryan, Texas
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
, attended Waco, Texas
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....
Reicher Catholic High School
Reicher Catholic High School
Reicher Catholic High School is a private Catholic high school in Waco, Texas.-History:Reicher was founded in 1954 on the present location in north Waco...
. He attended college 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...
. He subsequently attended the University of Texas Law School.
Mauro went to work for United States Senator Ralph Yarborough
Ralph Yarborough
Ralph Webster Yarborough was a Texas Democratic politician who served in the United States Senate and was a leader of the progressive or liberal wing of his party in his many races for statewide office...
after graduation from law school. He became Executive Director of the Texas Democratic Party
Texas Democratic Party
The Texas Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in Texas and the local branch of the United States Democratic Party. It is headquartered in Downtown Austin within close proximity to the Texas State Capitol.-19th century:...
by the time he was 30.
At 34 in 1982, he was elected to the statewide office of Texas Land Commissioner. Despite being targeted for defeat by the state Republican Party
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...
, he was re-elected three times.
Mauro became the second longest-serving Land Commissioner in Texas history serving a total of 16 years in office. He is credited by many for bringing new relevance to the office and taking the lead on important issues, including many environmental initiatives.
In 1989, the Texas Legislature approved a Mauro initiative to reduce air pollution
Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
and to sell more natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
. The bill requires fleet operators in larger cities to convert to clean-burning fuels, including compressed natural gas during the next ten years. Mauro has succeeded in gaining similar legislation at the federal level in the Clean Air Act
Clean Air Act
A Clean Air Act is one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of airborne contaminants, smog and air pollution in general. The use by governments to enforce clean air standards has contributed to an improvement in human health and longer life spans...
.
Also in 1989, the Legislature passed a bill pushed by Mauro to facilitate the recycling
Recycling
Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...
of plastics. The bill requires manufacturers to code their plastic items according to resins used.
Mauro convinced the U.S. Senate to ratify the Annex V provision of the MARPOL Treaty
MARPOL 73/78
Marpol 73/78 is the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships, 1973 as modified by the Protocol of 1978....
, which outlaws the dumping of plastic items in the world’s oceans. His main objective was to help clean up the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
and reduce beach litter. His efforts also have resulted in the International Maritime Organization
International Maritime Organization
The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
designating the Gulf and the
“Wider Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
” as a “special area” to prohibit ships from dumping anything in the Gulf, with the exception of finely-ground food scraps.
In 1991 Mauro played a key role in gaining passage of the Oil Spill Prevention & Response Act which makes the land office the lead state agency for spills in state waters, and coastal management legislation which gives the Land Office a strong hand in matters of environmental consequence along the coast.
The 1991 omnibus recycling bill backed by Mauro requires state purchasers to give preference to goods made of recycled materials, set a state goal of recycling 40 percent of the garbage stream, provided for development of standards for collection of household hazardous wastes, and for the recycling of old tires and batteries and used motor oil. The Land Office made a statewide marketing study to facilitate the development of recycling businesses in the state.
As chairman of the Veteran’s Land Board, Mauro pushed legislation passed in 1991 that expanded the investment authority of the board and provided for increased loan ceiling for land and housing. The program was expanded to include certain National Guard personnel. He moved for exceptionally low interest rates, which led to a record number of housing loans for Texas veterans. In 1993, Mauro campaigned to gain voter approval of an additional $500 million in bonds for veterans housing loans and $250 million in bonds for land loans.
After leaving office in 1999, he was appointed to the Fannie Mae
Federal National Mortgage Association
The Federal National Mortgage Association , commonly known as Fannie Mae, was founded in 1938 during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal. It is a government-sponsored enterprise , though it has been a publicly traded company since 1968...
Board of Directors by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
In 1992
United States presidential election, 1992
The United States presidential election of 1992 had three major candidates: Incumbent Republican President George Bush; Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, and independent Texas businessman Ross Perot....
, he served as the Texas State Chairman for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. He took on the same role in 1996
United States presidential election, 1996
The United States presidential election of 1996 was a contest between the Democratic national ticket of President Bill Clinton of Arkansas and Vice President Al Gore of Tennessee and the Republican national ticket of former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas for President and former Housing Secretary Jack...
for Clinton-Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
, in 2000
United States presidential election, 2000
The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas and son of former president George H. W. Bush , and Democratic candidate Al Gore, then-Vice President....
for Al Gore (as a co-chairman) and in 2004
United States presidential election, 2004
The United States presidential election of 2004 was the United States' 55th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. Republican Party candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush defeated Democratic Party candidate John Kerry, the then-junior U.S. Senator...
for Dick Gephardt
Dick Gephardt
Richard Andrew "Dick" Gephardt is a lobbyist and former prominent American politician of the Democratic Party. Gephardt served as a U.S. Representative from Missouri from January 3, 1977, until January 3, 2005, serving as House Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995, and as Minority Leader from 1995 to...
. In 2008, he served as the Texas State Director for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
He is referenced in Bill Clinton's 2004 memoir My Life
My Life (Bill Clinton autobiography)
My Life is a 2004 autobiography written by former President of the United States Bill Clinton, who left office on January 20, 2001. It was released on June 22, 2004. The book was published by the Knopf Publishing Group; the book sold in excess of 2,250,000 copies...
. Mauro met the future President and First Lady in 1972 while working on George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
's presidential campaign in Austin.
Mauro is the author of the memoir Beaches, Bureaucrats & Big Oil: One Man's Fight for Texas. The book was published in 1997.
Mauro currently practices private law
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas.