Texas Governor George W. Bush:

An Inventory of Governor George W. Bush Appointments Office Records Located at the George W. Bush Presidential Library, 1946, 1955, 1959-2000, bulk 1994-2000

Agency History

The governor of Texas is the chief executive officer of the state, elected by the citizens every four years. The duties and responsibilities of the governor include serving as commander-in-chief of the state's military forces; convening special sessions of the legislature for specific purposes; delivering to the legislature at the beginning of each regular session a report on the condition of the state, an accounting of all public money under the governor's control, a recommended biennial budget, an estimate of the amounts of money required to be raised by taxation, and any recommendations he deems necessary; signing or vetoing bills passed by the legislature; and executing the laws of the state. The governor can grant reprieves and commutations of punishment and pardons, upon the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, and revoke conditional pardons. He appoints numerous state officials (with the consent of the Senate), fills vacancies in state and district offices (except vacancies in the legislature), calls special elections to fill vacancies in the legislature, fills vacancies in the United States Senate until an election can be held, and serves as ex officio member of several state boards.

The office of governor was first established by the Constitution of 1845 and superseded the office of president of the Republic of Texas. The position now exists under authority of Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution of 1876 and Texas Government Code, Chapter 401. To be elected governor, a person must be at least thirty years old, a United States citizen, and a resident of Texas for at least five years preceding the election. In 1972, the term of office was extended from two to four years, effective in 1975. Since 1856 the governor has had the use of the Governor's Mansion.

In 1999 there were 198 full time equivalent employees in the Office of the Governor. Thirteen divisions outside of the Executive Office assist the governor in carrying out his functions: Administration, Appointments, Budget & Planning, Communications, General Counsel, Legislative, Policy, Scheduling, Criminal Justice Division, Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities, Office of Film, Music, Television and Multimedia Industries, Women's Commission, and Texas Council on Workforce and Economic Competitiveness.

The governor of Texas appoints the secretary of state, the adjutant general, executive directors of several agencies, members of numerous state boards and commissions, ship pilots and pilot boards at ports, and regents of universities; and fills vacancies in district attorney offices and judgeships, and various other posts. Most of these appointments require the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate. The Governor's office then notifies the Office of the Secretary of State, who is responsible for issuing commissions to appointees. According to the Guide to Texas State Agencies, 10th Edition (1999), in a four year period, the governor may make around 3,000 appointments.

Clay Johnson served as the director of the Appointments Office under Governor George W. Bush from January 1995 until the end of June 1999 when he became Executive Assistant to the Governor, replacing Joe Allbaugh. Ron Bellamy became Appointments director. Polly Sowell was an Appointments Office staff member during the entire time, holding the title Appointments Manager (at least during 1998-1999).

(Sources include: Guide to Texas State Agencies, 9th and 10th eds., (1996 and 1999); the contents of the records; and versions of the Governor's Office web site during Governor Bush's term available on the Internet Archive at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.governor.state.tx.us, accessed on March 3, 2009.)

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George W. Bush Biographical Sketch

George W. Bush served as governor of Texas from January 17, 1995 to December 21, 2000, resigning as governor in the middle of his second term to become president of the United States.

He challenged the incumbent governor, Democrat Ann Richards, running on promises to improve public education and to reform the juvenile justice system, welfare, and the state's tort laws -- the system under which an injured person may sue for damages. During the 74th Legislature in 1995, he worked with the Democrats who controlled both houses of the Texas legislature and managed to get bills passed that dealt with the four issues he had emphasized in his campaign. Bush was seen as pro-business and a consensus-builder.

Bush advocated and signed the two largest tax cuts to date in Texas history, totaling over $3 billion. To pay for the cuts, he sought (unsuccessfully) federal approval of a plan to privatize Texas' social services. Education reform was a priority throughout his terms, with legislation emphasizing local control of schools, higher standards, and a revised curriculum. Controversy has followed, with charter schools mired in financial scandals and protests against one test determining a child's promotion. After winning reelection in 1998, Bush began his bid for the presidency and was not as involved in the 76th Legislature in 1999.

George W. Bush was born July 6, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut and grew up in Midland and Houston, Texas. He graduated from Andover Academy, and received a bachelor's degree from Yale University and a master's from Harvard Business School. He served as a pilot in the Texas Air National Guard. In 1978, Bush was defeated in a run for the U.S. Congress in West Texas. He was involved in energy exploration from the 1970s into the 1980s. From 1989 until his election as governor, Bush worked with the Texas Rangers baseball organization, leading a group of partners in purchasing the team, and then serving as managing general partner. He married Laura Welch in 1977; they have two daughters.

(Sources include: Versions of the Governor's Office web site during Governor Bush's term available on the Internet Archive at http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.governor.state.tx.us, accessed on March 3, 2009.)

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Scope and Contents of the Records

The Texas governor appoints numerous state officials (with the consent of the Senate) and fills vacancies in state and district offices (except vacancies in the legislature). The Appointments Office is responsible for naming individuals to serve on state boards and commissions. Appointments Office staff correspondence, appointment application files and resignation letters document applicants for appointed positions during Texas Governor George W. Bush's administration. Materials date 1946, 1955, 1959-2000, bulk 1994-2000.

Files of Polly Sowell, Appointments Manager during Governor Bush's term in office, contain correspondence, including letters to and from appointees and potential appointees, recommendations for and against certain appointments, and letters of appreciation and complaint, plus (although only occasionally) attachments such as resumes, press releases, and newspaper clippings, dating 1995-2000.

Appointment application files include application forms; letters of recommendation, appointment, resignation, and thanks; résumés or curriculum vitae; photographs; judicial appointment questionnaires; forms authorizing the State Bar of Texas or Commission on Judicial Conduct to release information about an appointee to the Governor's Office; Department of Public Safety criminal history check forms; copies of personal financial statements filed with the Ethics Commission; interview notes; legal advice from general counsel staff to appointments staff; telephone messages; news clippings or other publications about applicants and their accomplishments; articles, briefs, opinions, and other writings authored by applicants; campaign literature; medical records; military records; education records including college transcripts; tax records; board or commission minutes; and other materials concerning applicants for appointed positions during Governor George W. Bush's administration. Materials date 1946, 1955, 1959-2000, bulk 1994-2000. Individuals submitted applications to the Governor's Appointments Office for appointment to a broad range of positions including vacant judgeships, state boards and commissions, certain agency heads, river authorities, and branch pilots.

Resignation letters contain letters from appointees and judges tendering resignation, responses from Governor Bush accepting resignations, and cover letters from commissions or boards concerning the death of appointees or enclosing resignations. Materials date 1994-2000.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Because of the possibility that portions of these records fall under Public Information Act exceptions including, but not limited to, privacy, including some information on judicial questionnaires (V.T.C.A., Government Code Section 552.101); biometric identifiers (552.101 in conjunction with 560.003); legislators' correspondence with Texas citizen residents (552.101 in conjunction with 306.003-004); request for ethics advisory opinion (552.101 (TAC Section 8.19); compiled criminal histories from the Department of Public Safety (552.101 in conjunction with 411.083); medical records (552.101 in conjunction with Occupations Code Section 159.002(d)); tax records (552.101 in conjunction with 26 USC 6103(a)); executive session certified agenda (552.101 in conjunction with 551.146); certain legal matters, including attorney-client privilege (552.107); agency memoranda (552.111); student records (552.114); home addresses, home phone numbers, social security numbers, and family information of government officials or employees (552.117 and 1175); motor vehicle records, including drivers license numbers (552.130); account numbers (552.136); email addresses (552.137); and social security numbers (552.147), an archivist must review these records before they can be accessed for research. The records may be requested for research under the provisions of the Public Information Act (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Chapter 552). The researcher may request an interview with an archivist or submit a request by mail (Texas State Library and Archives Commission, P. O. Box 12927, Austin, TX 78711), fax (512-463-5436), email (Dir_Lib@tsl.state.tx.us), or see our web page (https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/requestgovernorbushrecords.html). Include enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the archivist to accurately identify and locate the information requested. (Note: The Governor's Office has requested that the State Archives contact the Public Information Coordinator for the Governor's Office when we receive a Public Information Act request for these records.) If our review reveals information that may be excepted by the Public Information Act, we are obligated to seek an open records decision from the Attorney General on whether the records can be released. The Public Information Act allows the Archives ten working days after receiving a request to make this determination. The Attorney General has 45 working days to render a decision. Alternately, the Archives can inform you of the nature of the potentially excepted information and if you agree, that information can be redacted or removed and you can access the remainder of the records.

Records series described in this finding aid have access restrictions specific to each of them. The terms of access are found following the series' descriptions.

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).

Technical Requirements

Researchers are required to wear gloves provided by the Archives when reviewing photographic materials.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item and cite the series), Texas Governor George W. Bush Appointments Office records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession numbers: 2002/151, 2009/144, 2011/418, 2013/086

In December 2000, Governor George W. Bush designated the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas as the repository for the records from his tenure as Governor of Texas, under authority of Texas Government Code, Section 441.201. Shortly after he left office, the records were shipped to the Bush Library in College Station. Texas Attorney General John Cornyn ruled the records are state records subject to the Texas Public Information Act and the management of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission even after transfer to a federal facility (Opinion No. JC-0498, May 3, 2002). In July 2002 the records were transferred from the Bush Library to the Texas State Archives in Austin for preparation for research use. In June 2003, a memorandum of understanding signed by representatives of the National Archives and Records Administration, the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, and George W. Bush replaced a January 2002 interim memorandum of understanding. Appointments Office application files and resignation letters were transferred to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Governor's Appointments Office on July 2, 2009; August 4, 2011; and February 1, 2013. The records were moved to the George W. Bush Presidential Library in February 2013.

Processing Information

Polly Sowell's correspondence processed by Tony Black, November 2002

Additional series processed by Tonia Wood, December 2011

Finding aid updated by Tonia J. Wood, April 2013

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Detailed Description of the Records

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