Suzanna Hupp

Infobox State Representative| name=Suzanna Hupp|Suzanna Gratia Hupp]


nationality=American
office= Texas State Representative from District 54 (Bell, Burnet, and Lampasas counties)
party=Republican
term_start=1997
term_end=2007
preceded=Layton Black
succeeded=Jimmie Don Aycock
date of birth=birth date and age|1959|1|1
date of death=
place of birth=Reared in Friendswood, Texas, USA
occupation=Chiropractor
spouse= Gregory Hupp
children=Alexander Hupp
Ethan Hupp

Suzanna Gratia Hupp (born January 1, 1959) [Net Detective, People Search] 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 for the Second Amendment and 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.

Death of parents

On Wednesday, October 16, 1991, Hupp and her parents were having lunch at the Luby's in Killeen. She had left her handgun 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. 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.

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 McCulloch, 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).

Hupp in the limelight

Hupp has been quoted in such publications as "U.S. News & World Report", "The Wall Street Journal", "Texas Monthly", and "Time" and "People" magazines. She was featured on CBS's "48 Hours", ABC's "World News Tonight"Fact|date=February 2007 and season 3 episode 9 of Bullshit!. She 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 prolife 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."Fact|date=May 2008

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.

Election history

Most recent election

2004

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 2004: House District 54 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 2004 General Election | accessdate = 2006-12-20 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Republican Party (US)
candidate = Suzanna Gratia Hupp
votes = 28,907
percentage = 60.86
change = -39.14Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Edward Lindsey
votes = 18,594
percentage = 39.14
change = +39.14Election box majority
votes = 10,313
percentage = 21.71
change = -78.29Election box turnout
votes = 47,501
percentage =
change = +152.50Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Republican Party (US)

Previous elections

2002

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 2002: House District 54 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 2002 General Election | accessdate = 2006-12-20 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Republican Party (US)
candidate = Suzanna Gratia Hupp
votes = 18,812
percentage = 100.00
change = +37.82Election box majority
votes = 18,812
percentage = 100.00
change = +75.64Election box turnout
votes = 18,812
percentage =
change = -49.45Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Republican Party (US)

2000

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 2000: House District 54 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 2000 General Election | accessdate = 2006-12-20 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Republican Party (US)
candidate = Suzanna Gratia Hupp
votes = 23,139
percentage = 62.18
change = +7.40Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Don Armstrong
votes = 14,074
percentage = 37.82
change = -7.40Election box majority
votes = 9,065
percentage = 24.36
change = +14.79Election box turnout
votes = 37,213
percentage =
change = +70.55Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Republican Party (US)

1998

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 1998: House District 54 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1998 General Election | accessdate = 2006-12-20 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Republican Party (US)
candidate = Suzanna Gratia Hupp
votes = 11,954
percentage = 54.78
change = +1.99Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Don Armstrong
votes = 9,866
percentage = 45.22
change = -1.99Election box majority
votes = 2,088
percentage = 9.57
change = +3.99Election box turnout
votes = 21,820
percentage =
change = -34.63Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Republican Party (US)

1996

Election box begin
title=Texas general election, 1996: House District 54 [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1996 General Election | accessdate = 2006-12-20 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Republican Party (US)
candidate = Suzanna Gratia Hupp
votes = 17,620
percentage = 52.79
change = -0.12Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Dick Miller
votes = 15,757
percentage = 47.21
change = +0.12Election box majority
votes = 1,863
percentage = 5.58
change = -0.25Election box turnout
votes = 33,377
percentage =
change = +37.33Election box hold with party link no swing
winner = Republican Party (US)Election box begin
title=Special Election, 5 November 1996: House District 54, Unexpired [cite web | url = http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe | title = 1996 November Special Election | accessdate = 2006-12-20 | publisher = Office of the Secretary of State (Texas)] Election box candidate with party link
party= Republican Party (US)
candidate = Suzanna Gratia Hupp
votes = 12,861
percentage = 52.92
change = +52.92Election box candidate with party link
party= Democratic Party (US)
candidate = Dick Miller
votes = 11,444
percentage = 47.08
change = -52.92Election box majority
votes = 1,417
percentage = 5.83
change = -94.17Election box turnout
votes = 24,305
percentage =
change = +62.05Election box gain with party link no swing
winner = Republican Party (US)
loser = Democratic Party (US)

Notes

References

* [http://www.house.state.tx.us/committees/welcome.htm Texas State House of Representatives]
* [http://www.gunownersalliance.com/hupp-10.htm Gun Owner's Alliance]
* [http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe Texas State Elections]

###@@@KEY@@@###TXHouseSuccession box
district = 54
hometown = Lampasas
before=Layton Black
after=Jimmie Don Aycock
years=1997–2007
town_note_marker = ⁽¹⁾s-ref|For the 74th through 77th Legislatures, Hupp’s home city was Kempner

Persondata
NAME=Suzanna Gratia Hupp
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Texas politician
DATE OF BIRTH=1959
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=