Juan M. Garcia

Infobox State Representative
name=Juan M. Garcia


state_house=Texas
state=Texas
district=32nd
term=2007
preceded=Gene Seaman
succeeded=Incumbent
party=Democratic
date of birth=birth date and age|1966|5|27
place of birth=
date of death=
place of death=
residence=Corpus Christi, Texas
spouse=Denise
profession=attorney
alma_mater=University of California at Los Angeles, Harvard Law School
religion=|

Juan M. Garcia is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing the 32nd District since 2007.

Education

Juan Garcia graduated with honors from the University of California at Los Angeles, where he gave the 1988 commencement address. He went on to earn a law degree from Harvard Law School and received his MPA from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. At Harvard, Garcia was a close friend to 2008 presidential candidate and Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

Military service

Juan is a 2nd generation aviator. He received his "Wings of Gold" from the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. He has flown over 30 armed missions in the Persian Gulf, including making an emergency landing in a sandstorm. He has served as a top aide to the deputy Commander in Chief of the U.S. Navy in Europe. He also served in Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia. He has served in supporting the enforcement of the no-fly zone in Iraq aboard the USS Constellation (CV-64). His military awards include the Joint Commendation Medal, the Naval Commendation Medal, and the Naval Achievement Medal.

Post-military

In 1999, Garcia was selected as one of 16 Americans to be a White House Fellow, where he served as a special assistant to Richard Riley, the U.S. Secretary of Education.

2006 election

Garcia defeated 5-termed incumbent Eugene Seaman with just 48% of the total vote. A third candidate, Lenard Nelson, won 6% as a Libertarian. During the campaign, Seaman had mailed out many circulars criticizing Garcia, as did Garcia of Seaman . A scandal involving Seaman and Homestead exemption, though, also became an issue. On the morning after the election, Seaman had led by a narrow 24 votes, as there were three precincts in San Patricio still pending counts. By 9 p.m., though, the votes, hand-counted, gave Garcia the seat.

Family

Garcia and his wife Denise, who met while classmates at Harvard Law, have four children, a daughter and three sons. They live in Corpus Christi.

External links

* [http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist32/garcia.htm Texas House of Representatives - Juan Garcia] official TX House website
* [http://www.electjuangarcia.com/ Juan Garcia for State Representative] official campaign website