Florence Donald Shapiro (born May 2, 1948) is an American politician from
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 ...
, a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
former member of the
Texas 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 co ...
. From 1993 to 1995, she represented the
2nd District and from 1995 to 2013, the
8th District, which includes several cities, towns, and other outlying areas of the
Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex.
Shapiro previously served as Senate State Affairs Committee chair and since 2003 has chaired the Senate Education Committee.
Her series of bills known as Ashley's Laws, which severely punishes sexual predators, quickly became national benchmarks in the fight against sex offenders. Shapiro's work earned her the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault's "Champion for Social Change Award". and the Children's Advocacy Centers of Texas's "Legislator of the Year Award" in 2008.
President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
appointed her to serve on the Honorary Delegation to accompany him to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the
State of Israel in May 2008.
Personal life
A first-generation
American and the daughter of two
Holocaust survivors
Holocaust survivors are people who survived the Holocaust, defined as the persecution and attempted annihilation of the Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies before and during World War II in Europe and North Africa. There is no universally accep ...
,
Florence Shapiro was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
After the family moved to
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
, she attended and graduated from
Hillcrest High School. After high school, Shapiro matriculated to
The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
, the first in her family to attend college,
and graduated with a
B.S.
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...
in
secondary education
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...
.
[ Shapiro began her professional career as a public school English and speech teacher for the ]Richardson Independent School District
Richardson Independent School District (RISD) is a school district based in Richardson, Texas ( USA).
RISD covers and serves the city of Richardson and portions of the cities of Dallas and Garland (60 percent of RISD is in North Dallas, wi ...
in Richardson, Texas
Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 119,469. Richardson is an inner suburb of the city of Dallas.
It is home to the University ...
.[ Shapiro also founded ''Shapiro & Company'', an ]advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
, public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...
and special events agency.[ She lives in ]Plano, Texas
Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.
History
European settlers came to the area near ...
with her husband Howard; they have three children, Lisa Strauss of Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
, Todd Shapiro of Frisco, Texas
Frisco is a city in Collin and Denton counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Its population was 200,509 at the 2 ...
, and Staci Rubin of Plano,[ and 12 grandchildren.][
]
Political career
Local politics
Florence Shapiro entered politics after being elected to be a member of the Plano City Council, where she served six terms from 1979 to 1990.[ Shapiro was subsequently elected Mayor of Plano and served from 1990 to 1992.][ During this time, Shapiro was the President of the Texas Municipal League and the North Texas Council of Governments.]
Texas Senate
Florence Shapiro was first elected to the Texas 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 co ...
in 1992, after defeating Democratic incumbent Ted Lyon, serving since 1993. In January 2005, she was elected President pro tempore of the State Senate, becoming second in the gubernatorial line of succession, behind the Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and control ...
.[ She was the first senator from Collin County to serve in that position in more than forty years.][ When both ]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 and Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst
David Henry Dewhurst (born August 18, 1945) is an American politician, businessman, and attorney who served as the 41st Lieutenant Governor of Texas, serving from 2003 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he was the Texas Land Commissioner ...
were out of the state on official business on April 9, 2005, Shapiro served as the Governor for a day, the sixth woman in Texas history to do so.[
]
U.S. Senate campaign speculation
Due to her friendship with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, it was widely speculated that Shapiro would run for Hutchison's seat upon her resignation for her own gubernatorial run against Rick Perry. On July 15, 2008, Shapiro announced the formation of an exploratory committee for U.S. Senate,[ the first candidate to do so. It was chaired by former ]Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
quarterback Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach (, -; , -; born February 5, 1942), nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for ...
. Since the formation of the committee, Shapiro began heavy fundraising, both in Texas and out-of-state, and by the end of 2008, had raised more money than any other declared candidate, to date the highest of any declared Republican. Shapiro raised $226,000 in the fourth quarter of 2008 and ended the year with $373,556 in the bank. Early polls indicated Shapiro defeating former Texas State Comptroller John Sharp, but trailing current Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
Bill White in head-to-head matchups.
However, in January 2011, she decided against continuing a campaign for United States Senate. Saying that she is "committed to serving in the Texas State Senate now and in the future."
Retirement from Texas Senate
In September 2011, Shapiro announced that she would not be a candidate for reelection. Republican former State Representative Tony Goolsby indicated that he would seek to succeed Shapiro, as did the military officer Scott O'Grady
Scott Francis O'Grady (born October 12, 1965) is a former United States Air Force fighter pilot. On June 2, 1995, he was shot down over Bosnia and Herzegovina by a 2K12 Kub mobile SAM launcher and forced to eject from his F-16C into hostile ter ...
, but neither ran for the seat. Shapiro was instead succeeded in the Senate by fellow Republican Ken Paxton
Warren Kenneth Paxton Jr. (born December 23, 1962) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Attorney General of Texas since January 2015. Paxton has described himself as a Tea Party conservative.
Paxton was re-elected to a t ...
.
Election history
2006
2002
2000
1996
1994
1992
References
External links
*
Committees
*
Official Facebook Page
*
*''Follow the Money'' - Florence Shapiro
2006200420022000
campaign contributions
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shapiro, Florence
1948 births
Living people
American marketing people
Jewish mayors of places in the United States
Jewish women politicians
Marketing women
Mayors of Plano, Texas
People from Plano, Texas
Presidents pro tempore of the Texas Senate
Republican Party Texas state senators
University of Texas at Austin College of Education alumni
Women mayors of places in Texas
Women state legislators in Texas
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
Jewish American state legislators in Texas
21st-century American Jews