Shirley Levoy "S.L." Abbott (July 23, 1924 – April 23, 2013) was an American businessman, rancher, politician, and ambassador. Born in Fairview, Oklahoma, Abbott lived on a dairy farm in Minnesota with his family and then moved to

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

. He served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He received his bachelor and optometrist degrees from Pacific University. He then practiced optometry in

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

and was a rancher. He served in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

as a Republican 1977–1978. Abbott had asked the Reagan administration to appoint him as

United States Ambassador to Belize The following is a list of ambassadors of the United States, or other Chiefs of Mission, to Belize. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.'' ...

. Instead, the administration tried to nominate him as

United States Ambassador to Guyana The following is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Guyana. The current title given by the United States State Department to this position is Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. See also * Guyana – United Stat ...

, but the nomination was withdrawn. Finally, in 1983, Abbott was appointed

United States Ambassador to Lesotho This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Lesotho. Prior to 1965, the area of southern Africa that is now Lesotho was a Crown colony by the name of Basutoland. Along with most of the empire's other colonies and protectorates, Basutola ...

by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

. Abbott died from complications of

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

Coronado, California Coronado (Spanish for "Crowned") is a resort city located in San Diego County, California, United States, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego. It was founded in the 1880s and incorporated in 1890. Its population was 24,697 at the ...

at age 88.Texas Legislators:Past and Present-Shirley L. Abbott
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Notes

1924 births 2013 deaths People from Major County, Oklahoma People from El Paso, Texas Pacific University alumni Military personnel from Oklahoma Businesspeople from Texas Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Ambassadors of the United States to Lesotho Ranchers from Texas American optometrists United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century American businesspeople Politicians from Oklahoma {{US-diplomat-stub