Robert L. Duncan
Encyclopedia
Robert Lloyd Duncan is a Republican
member of the Texas Senate
from the 28th District
, centered on Lubbock
. First elected to the Senate in a 1996 special election, Duncan had previously served in the Texas House of Representatives
from District 84 from 1989 to 1993.
in Vernon
, and the former Robena Formby, who married Joe King of San Marcos
and later Roaring Springs
after the death of Frank Duncan. Robena Duncan King was the sister of Marshall Formby
, an attorney and radio
station owner from Plainview
in Hale County
, who served as county judge of Dickens County, as a state senator from Lubbock (then District 30) from 1941 to 1945, and was thereafter an influential member of the Texas Highway Commission. Marshall Formby was also an unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 1962, having lost out to John B. Connally, Jr. Duncan was a cousin of the late radio
broadcaster Clint Formby
of Hereford
, Texas
.
Duncan holds bachelor's and law degrees from Texas Tech University
. He practices law at the Lubbock firm of Crenshaw Dupree & Milam, L.L.P. and specializes in medical malpractice. He and his former wife, the former Lynne Stebbins, have two children, daughter Lindsey and son Matthew.
of the thirty-two Texas seats in the U.S. House of Representatives
. The Legislature ultimately approved a plan which in 2004 increased Republican membership in the Texas House seats from fifteen to twenty-one members. In 2006, however, the Democrats
regained two of the previously Republican-held seats. In 2009, Duncan was elected President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate. As such, he is currently second in the line of succession for the office of governor should the governor be unable to fulfill his duties. In March, 2009, Duncan presided over the Committee of the Whole for nearly twenty-four straight hours as the Senate debated the voter identification bill.
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 Senate
Texas Legislature
The Legislature of the state of Texas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin...
from the 28th District
Texas Senate, District 28
District 28 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves Armstrong, Borden, Briscoe, Carson, Castro, Childress, Coke, Collingsworth, Concho, Cottle, Crosby, Dawson, Dickens, Donley, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Garza, Gray, Hale, Hall, Hardeman, Haskell, Hockley, Irion, Jones, Kent,...
, centered on 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...
. First elected to the Senate in a 1996 special election, Duncan had previously served in 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 84 from 1989 to 1993.
Background
Duncan is the only son of the five children of Frank L. Duncan, a district conservationist for the U.S. Department of AgricultureUnited States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
in Vernon
Vernon, Texas
Vernon is a city in Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 11,660; it was 11,077 in the 2005 census estimate. Vernon is the county seat of Wilbarger County....
, and the former Robena Formby, who married Joe King of San Marcos
San Marcos, Texas
San Marcos is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, and is the seat of Hays County. Located within the metropolitan area, the city is located on the Interstate 35 corridor—between Austin and San Antonio....
and later Roaring Springs
Roaring Springs, Texas
Roaring Springs is a town in Motley County, Texas, United States. The population was 265 at the 2000 census.Roaring Springs was originally an Indian campground. At the time of the recapture of Cynthia Ann Parker in Foard County, Roaring Springs was the main Comanche outpost. It was known for the...
after the death of Frank Duncan. Robena Duncan King was the sister of Marshall Formby
Marshall Formby
Marshall Clinton Formby, Jr. , was a Texas attorney, newspaper publisher, radio executive, and a Democratic politician who served a term in the Texas State Senate from District 30 from 1941 to 1945. He was a defender of West Texas interests and entitled a 1962 book, These Are My People...
, an attorney and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station owner from Plainview
Plainview, Texas
Plainview is a city in and the county seat of Hale County, Texas, United States. The population was 22,336 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Plainview is located at ....
in Hale County
Hale County, Texas
Hale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 36,602. It was organized in 1888, and is named for Lt. John C. Hale, a hero of the Battle of San Jacinto. The seat of the county is Plainview. It is home of the noted former Hale County Judge, Judge Bill...
, who served as county judge of Dickens County, as a state senator from Lubbock (then District 30) from 1941 to 1945, and was thereafter an influential member of the Texas Highway Commission. Marshall Formby was also an unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 1962, having lost out to John B. Connally, Jr. Duncan was a cousin of the late radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcaster Clint Formby
Clint Formby
John Clinton Formby, known as Clint Formby , was a veteran radio broadcaster called the "Old Philosopher" based in the small city of Hereford, Texas, the seat of Deaf Smith County in the Texas Panhandle. His daily broadcast ran continuously on his KPAN AM & FM country-music station since October...
of Hereford
Hereford, Texas
Hereford is a city in Deaf Smith County, Texas, United States. The population was 14,597 at the 2000 census. It is the only incorporated Hereford in the country. It is the county seat of Deaf Smith County....
, 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...
.
Duncan holds bachelor's and law degrees 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...
. He practices law at the Lubbock firm of Crenshaw Dupree & Milam, L.L.P. and specializes in medical malpractice. He and his former wife, the former Lynne Stebbins, have two children, daughter Lindsey and son Matthew.
2003 congressional redistricting
In 2003, Duncan was among the members of the Senate committee which conducted extensive hearings across the state on redistrictingRedistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
of the thirty-two Texas seats in the U.S. 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...
. The Legislature ultimately approved a plan which in 2004 increased Republican membership in the Texas House seats from fifteen to twenty-one members. In 2006, however, the Democrats
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...
regained two of the previously Republican-held seats. In 2009, Duncan was elected President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate. As such, he is currently second in the line of succession for the office of governor should the governor be unable to fulfill his duties. In March, 2009, Duncan presided over the Committee of the Whole for nearly twenty-four straight hours as the Senate debated the voter identification bill.
2004
2002
1998
1996
External links
- Senate of Texas - Senator Robert L. Duncan official TX Senate website
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Robert L. Duncan (TX) profile
- Follow the Money - Robert L. Duncan