Lois Winkelmann Kolkhorst (born November 4, 1964) is an American

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

woman and politician serving as a Republican member of the Texas State Senate. She was first elected to the state Senate from the 18th District in a special election held on December 6, 2014.

Early life

Kolkhorst grew up in Brenham, Texas and is a graduate of Brenham High School. She is a 1988 graduate of Texas Christian University in

Fort Worth Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

, Texas, at which she studied advertising and public relations and played on the women's golf team. Before joining the Texas Senate, she served as president and CEO of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.Allbright, Claire
Lois Kolkhorst, a rising star in the Texas GOP, won't back down
Victoria Advocate, May 21, 2019.

Political career

Kolkhorst was seven terms in the Texas House representing House District 13, which included counties

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, Burleson, Colorado, Fayette, Grimes, Lavaca, Washington. Since 2014, Kolkhorst has represented the 18th District in the Texas Senate, a seat she won in 2014 in a special election. The district serves Victoria, Texas and stretches from Corpus Christi north to near

Bryan Bryan may refer to: Places United States * Bryan, Arkansas * Bryan, Kentucky * Bryan, Ohio * Bryan, Texas * Bryan, Wyoming, a ghost town in Sweetwater County in the U.S. state of Wyoming * Bryan Township (disambiguation) Facilities and structur ...

. She is Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, as well as a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, Senate Select Committee on Texas Ports, Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs, the Texas Agriculture Policy Board, the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas Advisory Committee, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Oversight Board. and Committee on Nominations. In 2021, Kolkhorst approvingly tweeted "Let freedom ring!" in support of legislation that prohibited businesses and government entities from requiring proof of vaccination for products or services.

Personal life

Kolkhorst and her husband, James Darren "Jim" Kolkhorst, have two children. Though they reside in Brenham, the couple owns and operates Kolkhorst Petroleum in

Navasota Navasota is a city in Grimes County, Texas, Grimes County, Texas, United States. The population was 7,643 at the 2020 census. In 2005, the Texas Legislature designated Navasota as the "Blues Capital of Texas" in honor of the late Mance Lipscomb, ...

in Grimes County. The company was founded by Jim Kolkhorst's father, James Henry "Bubba" Kolkhorst. She is a member of the St. Paul's Evangelical

Lutheran Church Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

in Brenham.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kolkhorst, Lois 1964 births Living people Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Republican Party Texas state senators People from Brenham, Texas Texas Christian University alumni Businesspeople from Texas American Lutherans Women state legislators in Texas Golfers from Texas 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesswomen