| Antonio O. Garza | |
|---|---|
| United States Ambassador to Mexico | |
| In office 22 November 2002 – 20 January 2009 |
|
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Jeffrey S. Davidow |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Pascual |
| Texas Railroad Commissioner | |
| In office 1999–2002 |
|
| 98th Secretary of State of Texas | |
| In office 1995–1997 |
|
| Governor | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Ron Kirk |
| Succeeded by | Alberto Gonzales |
| Cameron County Judge | |
| In office 1989–1995 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 7, 1959 Brownsville, Texas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | María Asunción Aramburuzabala (m. 2005; div. 2010) |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin (B.A.) Southern Methodist University School of Law (J.D.) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Antonio Oscar "Tony" Garza, Jr. (born 7 July 1959, in Brownsville, Texas), an American lawyer and former county judge in Texas, was the United States Ambassador to Mexico from 2002 to 2009.
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Garza, the son of gas station owner,[1] graduated from Saint Joseph Academy in Brownsville, the seat of Cameron County on the Gulf of Mexico coast in far south Texas. He is the grandson of Mexican immigrants to the United States.
Garza received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980 and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1983 from Southern Methodist University School of Law.[2]
Antonio O. Garza served as a partner in the Austin office of Bracewell & Patterson, L.L.P. (now Bracewell & Giuliani), a Houston-based law firm.
In 1988, Garza was the first Republican elected to countywide office in traditionally Democratic south Texas. Garza served six years as Cameron County Judge, the top executive in the county. He worked to provide water and sanitation services to lower income areas called “colonias” and pursued health care partnerships aimed at new immigrants and indigent and marginalized populations. A fiscal conservative, Garza also led Cameron County’s efforts to raise its bond rating with industry leaders. Cameron County was, at that time, one of only two U.S.-Mexico border counties to enjoy an “A” rating. As Cameron County Judge, Garza also worked with his Mexican counterparts at the state and federal levels and was instrumental in the permitting and construction of two international bridges linking his community to Mexico.
George W. Bush, shortly after being elected Governor of Texas in 1994, named Garza his Secretary of State and Senior Policy Advisor. During his tenure, Texas was the first state to provide Web-based election results on-line and in real time. As Governor Bush’s lead liaison on border and Mexico affairs, Garza worked on trade, the environment, and public health.
In 1998 Garza was elected to the Texas Railroad Commission, a statewide regulatory body charged with overseeing Texas’s then-$60 billion energy sector. He was the first Hispanic Republican elected to statewide office in Texas history. During this time, Garza also served as chairman of the commission and as vice-chairman on the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, which brings together 39 oil- and gas-producing states. He did not complete the six-year term on the Railroad Commission; he was nominated by President Bush as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico in the summer of 2002. He was succeeded on the Railroad Commission by Victor G. Carrillo of Abilene, an appointee of Governor Rick Perry, who was elected to a full term in 2004.
Garza presented his credentials to then-Mexican President Vicente Fox on November 22, 2002, and took charge of one of the largest diplomatic missions in the world. At the time, he was the United States’ youngest Chief of Mission serving abroad. Announcing the appointment, President Bush said, “The United States and Mexico share not only a border, but a rich history of common economic and cultural interests. Tony Garza has an in-depth understanding of the relationship between the United States and Mexico and its impact on the people of both nations.”
During his tenure as U.S. Ambassador, Garza focused his work on international business development. He is credited as being amongst the primary proponents of the landmark Mérida Initiative aimed at addressing critical regional security concerns.
Garza is a partner of Vianovo, a management and communications consulting company. He also serves as chairman of Vianovo Ventures, the firm's cross-border business development unit. In addition to his roles at Vianovo, Garza serves as Counsel in the Mexico City office of White & Case, a law firm with 36 offices in 25 countries.[3]
In 2005 Garza married María Asunción Aramburuzabala. A native of Mexico City, she serves as President of Tresalia Capital and also serves on a number of Mexican corporate boards. Aramburuzabala controls the Mexican brewery Grupo Modelo, which produces Corona beer. In 2005 Forbes estimated Aramburuzabala's personal fortune be around $1.8 billion, making her Mexico's richest woman.[4] The couple divorced in May 2010.[5]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ron Kirk |
Secretary of State of Texas 1995 – 1997 |
Succeeded by Alberto Gonzales |
| Preceded by Carole Keeton Rylander Strayhorn |
Texas Railroad Commissioner 1999 – 2002 |
Succeeded by Victor G. Carrillo |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Jeffrey S. Davidow |
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico 2002 – 2009 |
Succeeded by Carlos Pascual |