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Garry Mauro | |
|---|---|
 Mauro in 2015 | |
| 25thLand Commissioner of Texas | |
| In office January 1, 1983 – January 5, 1999 | |
| Governor | Mark White Bill Clements Ann Richards George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Bob Armstrong |
| Succeeded by | David Dewhurst |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Garry Paul Mauro (1948-02-21)February 21, 1948 (age 77) Bryan, Texas, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Texas A&M University (BA) University of Texas, Austin (LLB) |
Garry Paul Mauro (born February 21, 1948) is an American politician who served four terms asLand Commissioner of Texas from 1983 to 1999, during the administrations of GovernorsMark White,Bill Clements,Ann Richards, andGeorge W. Bush. He is also known for losing the1998 Texas gubernatorial election to Bush, who at the time was the incumbent governor seeking re-election. He is a member of theDemocratic Party.[1]
Mauro, a native ofBryan,Texas, attendedWaco, TexasReicher Catholic High School. He attended college atTexas A&M University inCollege Station. He subsequently attended theUniversity of Texas Law School.
Mauro went to work forUnited States SenatorRalph Yarborough after graduation from law school. He became Executive Director of theTexas 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 stateRepublican Party, he was re-elected three times.
Mauro became the 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 and conservation initiatives.
As chairman of the Veteran's Land Board, Mauro pushed legislation passed in 1983 that expanded the investment authority of the board and provided for increased loan ceiling for land and housing. The program was expanded to include certainNational 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.
In 1989, the Texas Legislature approved a Mauro initiative to reduceair pollution and to sell morenatural gas. The bill requires fleet operators in larger cities to convert to clean-burning fuels, including compressed natural gas. Mauro was appointed by Speaker Jim Wright to a Task Force that put similar measures in the re-authorization of the Clean Air Act. In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Mauro to be the Chairman of the Federal Fleet Conversion Task Force for Alternative Fuels which further implemented those measures.
Also in 1989, the Legislature passed a bill pushed by Mauro to facilitate therecycling 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 theMARPOL Treaty, which outlaws the dumping of plastic items in the world's oceans. His main objective was to help clean up theGulf of Mexico and reduce beach litter. His efforts also resulted in theInternational Maritime Organization designating the Gulf and the"WiderCaribbean" 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, andcoastal 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, batteries, and used motor oil. The Land Office made a statewide marketing study to facilitate the development of recycling businesses in the state.
In1992, he served as the Texas State Chairman for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign. He took on the same role in1996 for Clinton-Gore, in2000 for Al Gore (as a co-chairman) and in2004 forDick Gephardt. In 2008 and again in 2016, he served as the Texas State Director forHillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
After leaving office in 1999, he was appointed to theFannie Mae Board of Directors by PresidentBill Clinton.
He is referenced in Bill Clinton's 2004 memoirMy Life. Mauro met the future President and First Lady in 1972 while working onGeorge McGovern's presidential campaign in Austin.
Mauro is the author of the memoirBeaches, Bureaucrats & Big Oil: One Man's Fight for Texas. The book was published in 1997.
Mauro is a member of the Bar in Texas and the District of Columbia. He has served as an independent member of the board of LifeVantage Corporation since 2008; from 2013-2023, he served as the board's Chairman. He holds a Series 6 & 7 Securities license and is a Managing Director for EntrustGlobal. He is also a Partner of Mauro Archer and Associates LLC, a law firm in Washington, DC.
Mauro lives in Austin, Texas and has five children and two grandchildren.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Land Commissioner of Texas 1983–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forLand Commissioner of Texas 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Texas 1998 | Succeeded by |