Pat Haggerty (Texas politician)

Patrick B. "Pat" Haggerty
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 78th district
In office January 10, 1995 – January 13, 2009
Preceded by	Jack Vowell
Succeeded by	Joseph E. Moody
Texas State Representative for the 79th District
In office January 12, 1993 – January 10, 1995
Preceded by	Robert Dean Hunter
Succeeded by	Joe Pickett
Texas State Representative for the 71st District
In office January 10, 1989 – January 12, 1993
Preceded by	Arves E. Jones
Succeeded by	Robert Dean Hunter
Personal details
Born	March 17, 1944
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Yvonne Collins Haggerty
Parents	Richard H. and Kathleen Eleanor Keily Haggerty
Residence	El Paso, Texas, USA
Alma mater	University of Texas at El Paso
Occupation	Real estate broker
Religion	Roman Catholic

Patrick B. Haggerty, known as Pat Haggerty (born March 17, 1944),^[1] is a lobbyist^[2] and real estate broker from El Paso, Texas, who is a Republican former ten-term member of the Texas House of Representatives. He was the District 78 representative from 1995 to 2009. Earlier, he represented District 79 from 1993 to 1995 and District 71 from 1989 to 1993. The boundary changes came from redistricting. In his last term in the state House, he was a member of the Transportation and Corrections committees and was known for his expertise on penal issues.^[3]

Background

Born on St. Patrick's Day, Patrick Haggerty is one of eleven children of Richard H. Haggerty (1920-2000), a private in the United States Marine Corps in World War II,^[4] and the former Kathleen Eleanor Keily (1920-2012),^[5] an Irish-American couple often called the "Republican Kennedys" of northeast El Paso. Two of Haggerty's brothers, Timothy Allen Haggerty (1946-2006) and Daniel Richard "Dan" Haggerty (1948-2013), are deceased. These brothers, who served in the Vietnam War, are interred with their parents at the Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso.^[6]

Haggerty holds both Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso. He is married to the former Yvonne Collins (born c. 1951).^[1]

Political career

From 1979 to 1987, Haggerty served for four two-year terms on the El Paso City Council. A younger brother, Daniel Richard "Dan" Haggerty (1948-2013), served for eighteen years on the El Paso County Commission and six years previously on the El Paso Community College board of trustees. Another brother, Brian Haggerty, followed Dan Haggerty on the EPCC board. Still another brother, Jeremiah Haggerty, has been an El Paso County justice of the peace.^[7]

Representative Haggerty was considered a Moderate Republican who opposed then House Speaker Tom Craddick, a conservative oilman from Midland^[2] who entered the House in 1969. Craddick remains the senior Republican representative in the chamber though he was toppled as Speaker in 2009 by Joe Straus, a Moderate Republican from San Antonio. In 2006, Haggerty only narrowly won re-nomination in a low-turnout primary race against his challenger, Lorraine O'Donnell, 3,107 votes (50.9 percent) to 3,002 (49.1 percent).^[8] He then ran unopposed in the 2006 general election. In 2007, Craddick refused to recognize a motion from Haggerty that could have led to Craddick's removal as Speaker. Haggerty tried to gain the floor for a personal privilege speech and called for a quorum-breaking walkout before the sergeant-at-arms could escort him from the House chamber. In 2008, Republican voters defeated Haggerty In the primary election in favor of the more conservative Dee R. Margo, an El Paso businessman who carried the backing of Craddick and then Governor Rick Perry.^[2] Margo led Haggerty, 5,082 (56.6 percent) to 3,894 (43.4 percent).^[9] However, Margo lost the general election to the Democrat Joseph E. Moody, who still holds the District 78 seat. At the time Haggerty had been the only Republican legislator from the counties bordering Mexico. Moody polled 26,176 votes (51.5 percent) to Margo's 22,918 (45.1 percent). The remaining 1,706 votes (3.4 percent) went to the Libertarian Bill Collins.^[10]

On leaving the House, Haggerty began lobbying for AT&T and the Bingo Interest Group. Texans for Public Justice advocacy group called him a "revolving-door lobbyist."^[2]

References

1. "Rep. Pat Haggerty (R)". txdirectory.com. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
2. "Tribpedia: Pat Haggerty". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
3. "Patrick "Pat" Haggerty". Texas Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
4. "Richard H. Haggerty". Findagrave.com. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
5. "Kathleen Eleanor Keily". Findagrave.com. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
6. "Timothy Allen Haggerty". Findagrave.com. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
7. David Crowder (July 7, 2013). "Haggerty: Republican in Democratic city". El Paso, Inc. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
8. "2006 Republican Party Primary Election". Texas Secretary of State. March 7, 2006. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
9. "2008 Republican Party Primary Election". Texas Secretary of State. March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
10. "2008 General Election". Texas Secretary of State. November 4, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2016.