About Bob Bullock

Bob Bullock was Texas' 38th Lieutenant Governor. He served two terms from January 1991 to January 1999, when he retired and left public office. Considered one of the most outstanding Texas political leaders of the 20th Century, he was often compared to former US House Speaker Sam Rayburn and President Lyndon B. Johnson. Bullock's political career spanned nearly 40 years, and he was credited as being the principal architect of modern Texas government. He served in the Texas Legislature in the late 1950s. A term on the Texas Historical Commission strengthened Bullock's love for Texas, its history and its people.

Before he was appointed Secretary of State, Bullock served on the staff of former Governor Preston Smith. As Secretary of State, Bullock championed voting rights for 18 year-olds as well as campaign finance and election law reform. He was elected State Comptroller in 1974 and served for 16 years. His tenure there was marked with a series of innovations for that office and state government -- including increasingly accurate forecasts on state finances that allowed Texas lawmakers to better budget for state expenditures. As Lieutenant Governor, Bullock helped consolidate all environmental agencies into one department to better serve Texans and protect the state's natural resources. He created the Texas Performance Review to analyze state spending and recommend cost-saving alternatives. Bullock's accomplishments in the area of tort reform, health and juvenile justice and the state's educational funding system were shaped by his drive as a problem-solver. He ushered through the law that created the state's first comprehensive water conservation and management plan.

Bob Bullock loved Texas and was a serious student of Texas history. His interest in seeing that Texas had a state history museum grew over several years after visits to many other state history museums. He began discussing the idea informally with state and local leaders in 1995. In January of 1996, Bullock was asked by a reporter to discuss his vision for a Texas State History Museum.

Bullock responded: "As great as this state is -- the greatest in the Union, in my opinion -- we have no state museum in our state capital, a magnificent museum where our history can be properly displayed... Texas has gone too long without one." He said he planned to present a museum proposal to the next session of the legislature, scheduled for 1997. The staff of the State Preservation Board -- which he served on as co-vice chairman -- was asked to coordinate the planning effort. The resulting plans were approved and funding was secured from the legislature in 1997.

Bullock, a native of Hillsboro, was a graduate of Hill College, Texas Tech University and Baylor University Law School. Bullock died on Friday, June 18, 1999, in Austin at the age of 69, well before the museum was completed, and is buried in the Texas State Cemetery.

In his honor, a bronze statue of Bob Bullock is located in the second floor lobby of The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. A limestone wall behind the statue is engraved with Bullock's trademark words, "God Bless Texas."