Hector Steven Garcia, known as H. S. "Buddy" Garcia (born June 16, 1967), is a former interim member of the

Texas Railroad Commission The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC; also sometimes called the Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and sur ...

, the elected body which regulates the oil and natural gas industries in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. Garcia was appointed to the commission by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Rick Perry on April 12, 2012, to replace

Elizabeth Ames Jones Elizabeth Ames Jones (born October 29, 1956) is a former member of the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Railroad Commission, the regulatory body over petroleum and natural gas. From 2000 to 2005, Jones held the District 121 seat from ...

, who resigned to run unsuccessfully for the

Texas State Senate The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per con ...

. Garcia's appointment expired a few days after the November 6 general election, and he was succeeded by fellow Republican Christi Craddick, who defeated a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Dale Henry, to claim the position for six years. Craddick is the daughter of the former

Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives. The Speaker's main duties are to conduct meetings of the House, appoint committee A committee or commission is a body of one or ...

Tom Craddick of Midland. A resident of Austin, Garcia served from January 2007 until his April 2012 appointment to the railroad position as a commissioner at the

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the environmental agency for the state of Texas. The commission's headquarters are located at 12100 Park 35 Circle in Austin. The fourth largest environmental agency in the United States (an ...

. He is a past deputy

Texas Secretary of State The Secretary of State of Texas is one of the six members of the executive department of the State of Texas in the United States. Under the Constitution of Texas, the appointment is made by the governor of Texas, with confirmation by the Texas ...

and a former state border commerce coordinator. He is a member of the Texas Coastal Land Advisory Board and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. Garcia is a former deputy legislative director for Perry and special assistant to the governor for Texas/Mexico border issues. Garcia graduated from Saint Josephs Academy in Brownsville, Texas. He first attended Texas A&M University - Kingsville on an academic scholarship and played football there, but he transferred after a year to

Texas State University Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...

San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...

, from which he received a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

in 1990. He is a former staff member for State Senator

Eddie Lucio, Jr. Eduardo Andres Lucio Jr. (born January 20, 1946) is a Democratic politician who served in the Texas Senate, representing the 27th District from 1991 to 2023. Lucio also previously served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1987 to 1991 ...

, a pro-life Democrat from Brownsville. He served on Perry's staff when Perry was lieutenant governor from 1999 to 2000. Garcia is a former deputy legislative director for Perry and special assistant to the governor for Texas/Mexico border issues.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Buddy 1967 births Living people Members of the Railroad Commission of Texas Politicians from Austin, Texas Texas Republicans Texas State University alumni People from Nueces County, Texas People from Brownsville, Texas Saint Joseph Academy (Brownsville, Texas) alumni