Suzanna Hupp
Encyclopedia
Dr. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, DC, (born January 1, 1959) is a former Republican
member of the Texas House of Representatives
, who represented traditionally Democratic
District 54 (Bell
, Burnet
, and Lampasas
counties) for ten years from 1997-2007. Hupp is recognized as a leading advocate of an individual's right to carry a concealed weapon. She was elected to her first term in 1996 but did not seek a sixth two-year term in 2006.
Hupp was reared in Friendswood
, a city partly in Harris
and Galveston
counties. She has an older brother, Allan, and a younger sister, Erika. She attended the University of Texas at El Paso
and Texas Chiropractic College, from which she received the doctor of chiropractic
degree in 1985. Hupp moved first to Houston
to practice chiropractic and then to central Texas in 1987. She owned and operated the Cove Physical Rehab Clinic from 1987 until 2000, when she sold the facility. She has also written a book called "From Luby's to the Legislature: One Woman's Fight Against Gun Control", published by Privateer Publications, San Antonio, Texas.
. She had left her gun in her car to comply with Texas state law at the time, which forbade carrying a concealed weapon. When George Hennard
drove his truck into the cafeteria and opened fire on the patrons, Hupp instinctively reached into her purse for her weapon, but it was in her vehicle. Her father, Al Gratia, tried to rush Hennard and was shot in the chest. As the gunman reloaded, Hupp escaped through a broken window and believed that her mother, Ursula Gratia, was behind her. Hennard put a gun to her mother's head as she cradled her mortally wounded husband, and pulled the trigger, killing her as well.
Hupp's mother and father were killed along with twenty-one other persons. Hennard also wounded some twenty others. As a survivor of the Luby's massacre
, Hupp testified across the country in support of concealed-handgun laws. She said that had there been a second chance to prevent the slaughter, she would have violated the Texas law and carried the handgun inside her purse into the restaurant.
, Mills
, and San Saba
. In 1998, Hupp defeated Democrat Don Armstrong, 11,954 votes (54.8 percent) to 9,866 ballots (45.2 percent). In 2000, she again defeated Armstrong, 23,139 (62.2 percent) to 14,084 (37.8 percent). The higher turnout reflected the presidential election year. Hupp was unopposed in 2002. In 2004, Hupp defeated the Democrat Edward Lindsay of Killeen, 28,907 votes (60.9 percent) to 18,594 ballots (39.1 percent).
, The Wall Street Journal
, Texas Monthly
, and Time
and People
magazines. She was featured on CBS
's 48 Hours
, ABC
's World News Tonight
and season 3 episode 9 of Bullshit!. Hupp can be heard in episode 81 of This American Life
, giving a first-hand account of her experience in the Luby's massacre
of Killeen, TX in 1991.
Hupp has authored a book regarding her experiences: "From Luby's to the Legislature: One Woman's Fight Against Gun Control", published by Privateer Publications, San Antonio, Texas.
Hupp was awarded the Sybil Ludington
Women's Freedom Award by the National Rifle Association
. In 1998, Charlton Heston
honored Hupp as the first Texan awarded a lifetime NRA membership.
In the state House, Hupp was a member of the House Rural Caucus and the House Veterans and Military Affairs Caucus. In November 2003, Speaker
Tom Craddick
appointed Hupp as chair of the House select committee on child welfare and foster care. Craddick also named her to chair the Human Services Committee in the 79th Legislature
. She also served on the House Law Enforcement Committee.
Hupp has been recognized by many conservative
interest groups: the American Family Association
, Free Market Foundation, the Texas Association of Business, the Chamber of Commerce
, Texas Alliance For Life, Texas Eagle Forum
, and the Young Conservatives of Texas. She was rated 100 percent pro-life by the Texas Right to Life
Committee.
Hupp is quoted as having said, "How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of."
Hupp has hosted a radio talk program in the Greater Austin
area. She is a co-founder of the Civil Liberties Defense Foundation, a non-profit legal foundation dedicated to providing educational information relating to the preservation of civil liberties
guaranteed by the Bill of Rights
to the United States Constitution
and to providing legal services to protect those rights.
She is married to Greg Hupp, who has served as her campaign manager. They have two sons, Alexander and Ethan. The Hupps have a small Arabian horse
ranch near Kempner
in Lampasas County.
TRIVIA: Hupp had a small cameo appearance in a country music video entitled "The high cost of Living" by the late Dale McBride that was produced by KNCT productions around 1991.
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...
, who represented traditionally Democratic
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...
District 54 (Bell
Bell County, Texas
Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Bell County was founded in 1850. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, the county's population was 237,974; in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that its population had reached...
, Burnet
Burnet County, Texas
Burnet County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population was 34,147. The 2008 Census Bureau Estimate was 44,488. Its county seat is Burnet. Burnet is named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas...
, and Lampasas
Lampasas County, Texas
Lampasas County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 17,762. Its seat is Lampasas. The county is named for the Lampasas River....
counties) for ten years from 1997-2007. Hupp is recognized as a leading advocate of an individual's right to carry a concealed weapon. She was elected to her first term in 1996 but did not seek a sixth two-year term in 2006.
Hupp was reared in Friendswood
Friendswood, Texas
Friendswood is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The city lies in Galveston and Harris counties. As of the 2000 U.S...
, a city partly in Harris
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
and Galveston
Galveston County, Texas
Galveston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population was 291,309. Its county seat is Galveston. League City is the largest city in Galveston County in terms of population; between...
counties. She has an older brother, Allan, and a younger sister, Erika. She attended the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
and Texas Chiropractic College, from which she received the doctor of chiropractic
Chiropractor
A Chiropractor, according to the Association of Chiropractic Colleges , "focuses on the relationship between the body's main structures – the skeleton, the muscles and the nerves – and the patient's health. Chiropractors believe that health can be improved and preserved by making adjustments to...
degree in 1985. Hupp moved first to Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
to practice chiropractic and then to central Texas in 1987. She owned and operated the Cove Physical Rehab Clinic from 1987 until 2000, when she sold the facility. She has also written a book called "From Luby's to the Legislature: One Woman's Fight Against Gun Control", published by Privateer Publications, San Antonio, Texas.
Death of parents
On Wednesday, October 16, 1991, Hupp and her parents were having lunch at the Luby's Cafeteria in KilleenKilleen, Texas
Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, The United States. The population was 86,911 at the 2000 census. As of 2009, Killeen had 119,510 people. In 2010 Killeen's population shot to 127,921...
. She had left her gun in her car to comply with Texas state law at the time, which forbade carrying a concealed weapon. When George Hennard
Luby's massacre
The Luby's massacre was a mass murder that took place on October 16, 1991, in Killeen, Texas, United States when George Hennard ″Jo Jo" drove his pickup truck into a Luby's cafeteria and shot 23 people to death while wounding another 20, subsequently committing suicide by shooting himself...
drove his truck into the cafeteria and opened fire on the patrons, Hupp instinctively reached into her purse for her weapon, but it was in her vehicle. Her father, Al Gratia, tried to rush Hennard and was shot in the chest. As the gunman reloaded, Hupp escaped through a broken window and believed that her mother, Ursula Gratia, was behind her. Hennard put a gun to her mother's head as she cradled her mortally wounded husband, and pulled the trigger, killing her as well.
Hupp's mother and father were killed along with twenty-one other persons. Hennard also wounded some twenty others. As a survivor of the Luby's massacre
Luby's massacre
The Luby's massacre was a mass murder that took place on October 16, 1991, in Killeen, Texas, United States when George Hennard ″Jo Jo" drove his pickup truck into a Luby's cafeteria and shot 23 people to death while wounding another 20, subsequently committing suicide by shooting himself...
, Hupp testified across the country in support of concealed-handgun laws. She said that had there been a second chance to prevent the slaughter, she would have violated the Texas law and carried the handgun inside her purse into the restaurant.
Election returns, 1996-2004
In the 1996 legislative election, the incumbent Democrat in the district, Layton Black, did not run again. Hupp defeated Democratic nominee Dick Miller, 17,620 votes (52.8 percent) to 15,757 ballots (47.2 percent). At the time, the district included Bell and Lampasas counties but also the small populated counties of McCullochMcCulloch County, Texas
McCulloch County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. The geographical center of Texas lies within the county. In 2000, its population was 8,205. Its county seat is Brady. McCulloch is named for Benjamin McCulloch, a famous Texas Ranger and Confederate...
, Mills
Mills County, Texas
Mills County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. In 2000, its population was 5,151. Mills County is named for John T. Mills, a justice of the Texas Supreme Court...
, and San Saba
San Saba, Texas
San Saba is a town located in Central Texas. It was settled in 1854 and named for its location on the San Saba River. The population was at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of San Saba County...
. In 1998, Hupp defeated Democrat Don Armstrong, 11,954 votes (54.8 percent) to 9,866 ballots (45.2 percent). In 2000, she again defeated Armstrong, 23,139 (62.2 percent) to 14,084 (37.8 percent). The higher turnout reflected the presidential election year. Hupp was unopposed in 2002. In 2004, Hupp defeated the Democrat Edward Lindsay of Killeen, 28,907 votes (60.9 percent) to 18,594 ballots (39.1 percent).
Appearances and accolades
Hupp has been quoted in such publications as U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, Texas Monthly
Texas 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...
, and Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazines. She was featured on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's 48 Hours
48 Hours (TV series)
48 Hours is a documentary and news program broadcast on the CBS television network since January 19, 1988. The program originally presented documentaries of various events related to a particular subject occurring within a 48-hour period, and is credited as one of the first to air a "reality show"...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's World News Tonight
World News with Charles Gibson
ABC World News is the flagship daily evening program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting Company television network in the United States. Currently, the weekday editions are anchored by Diane Sawyer and the weekend editions are anchored by David Muir. The program has been...
and season 3 episode 9 of Bullshit!. Hupp can be heard in episode 81 of This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
, giving a first-hand account of her experience in the Luby's massacre
Luby's massacre
The Luby's massacre was a mass murder that took place on October 16, 1991, in Killeen, Texas, United States when George Hennard ″Jo Jo" drove his pickup truck into a Luby's cafeteria and shot 23 people to death while wounding another 20, subsequently committing suicide by shooting himself...
of Killeen, TX in 1991.
Hupp has authored a book regarding her experiences: "From Luby's to the Legislature: One Woman's Fight Against Gun Control", published by Privateer Publications, San Antonio, Texas.
Hupp was awarded the Sybil Ludington
Sybil Ludington
Sybil Ludington , daughter of Col. Henry Ludington, was a heroine of the American Revolutionary War who became famous for her night ride on April 26, 1777 to alert American colonial forces to the approach of enemy troops...
Women's Freedom Award by the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
. In 1998, Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
honored Hupp as the first Texan awarded a lifetime NRA membership.
In the state House, Hupp was a member of the House Rural Caucus and the House Veterans and Military Affairs Caucus. In November 2003, 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...
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...
appointed Hupp as chair of the House select committee on child welfare and foster care. Craddick also named her to chair the Human Services Committee in the 79th Legislature
Seventy-ninth Texas Legislature
The Seventy-ninth Texas Legislature met from 11 January to 30 May 2005 in regular session, and in consecutive called sessions from 21 June to 20 July and 21 July to 19 August 2005 . It met again in 2006 from 17 April to 16 May...
. She also served on the House Law Enforcement Committee.
Hupp has been recognized by many conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
interest groups: the American Family Association
American Family Association
The American Family Association is a 501 non-profit organization that promotes conservative Christian values, such as opposition to same-sex marriage, pornography, and abortion, as well as other public policy goals such as deregulation of the oil industry and lobbying against the Employee Free...
, Free Market Foundation, the Texas Association of Business, the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
, Texas Alliance For Life, Texas 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...
, and the Young Conservatives of Texas. She was rated 100 percent pro-life by the Texas Right to Life
Right to life
Right to life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being...
Committee.
Hupp is quoted as having said, "How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of."
Hupp has hosted a radio talk program in the Greater 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...
area. She is a co-founder of the Civil Liberties Defense Foundation, a non-profit legal foundation dedicated to providing educational information relating to the preservation of civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
guaranteed by the Bill of Rights
United States Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property. They guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and...
to the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
and to providing legal services to protect those rights.
She is married to Greg Hupp, who has served as her campaign manager. They have two sons, Alexander and Ethan. The Hupps have a small Arabian horse
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
ranch near Kempner
Kempner, Texas
Kempner is a city in Lampasas County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,004 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area....
in Lampasas County.
TRIVIA: Hupp had a small cameo appearance in a country music video entitled "The high cost of Living" by the late Dale McBride that was produced by KNCT productions around 1991.