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Tony Buzbee

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Tony Buzbee
Born
Anthony Glenn Buzbee

1968 (age 55–56)
Atlanta, Texas, U.S.
EducationTexas A&M University,
College Station (BS)
University of Houston (JD)
Political partyIndependent (2018–present)
Other political
affiliations		Democratic (until 2009)
Republican (2009–2018)
Spouses
Zoe Benson
​
​
(m. 1991; div. 2017)​
Frances Moody
​
(m. 2021)​
Children4
WebsiteOfficial website

Anthony Glenn Buzbee is an American lawyer and politician. In 2019, Buzbee ran for mayor of Houston, Texas,[1] but lost to incumbent Sylvester Turner.

Early life and education

Buzbee grew up in Atlanta, Texas, on a farm with his parents and three siblings.[2] Buzbee earned a B.S. in psychology from Texas A&M University and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center.[3] Buzbee was the Battalion Commander of the NROTC Midshipman Battalion and a member of the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets.[4]

Career

He began his legal career as an attorney at Susman Godfrey LLP in Houston. In 2000, he founded the Buzbee Law Firm.

Buzbee appeared on the cover of The New York Times magazine in November 2010 regarding his role in the litigation against BP following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The article described him as "one of the most successful trial lawyers in Texas".[5] As of April 6, 2021, Buzbee represents at least twenty-one clients alleging sexual misconduct against NFL Quarterback Deshaun Watson. [6][7][8] In 2021, Buzbee filed a $750 million lawsuit against rapper Travis Scott on behalf of 120 victims who died or were injured during the Astroworld Festival crowd crush.[9]

Buzbee is also a property developer.[10] He owns Buzbee Properties, a real-estate firm focused on various suburbs in the Greater Houston area. He also owns some properties in Florida.[11]

In 2023, Buzbee was brought on to lead the legal team representing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his impeachment trial before the Texas Senate.[12]

In 2023, Buzbee and Washington Ho started a line of THC-infused seltzers named HoBuzz.[13]

Politics

In 2002, Buzbee unsuccessfully ran for the 24th District of the Texas State House as a Democrat, losing to Republican Larry Taylor by 17 points.[14][15] From August 2003 to April 2005, Buzbee was chair of the Galveston County Democratic Party.[16]

In 2012, Buzbee supported Rick Perry's presidential campaign with financial support and the use of his private jet. Buzbee also served as one of Perry's debate coaches.[17][18] In 2016, Buzbee hosted a fundraiser at his River Oaks mansion for then presidential candidate Donald Trump. Later on, following the release of the Access Hollywood tape, Buzbee disavowed Trump and stated his intention to write in veteran Dan Moran for president.[19] Subsequently, Buzbee gave $500,000 to Trump's inauguration committee.[20]

Houston mayoral run

On October 30, 2018, Buzbee announced he would be running in the 2019 Houston mayoral election, challenging incumbent Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on a platform of universal pre-K, infrastructure improvement, crime reduction, and expanding access to 5G broadband.[21] Following the November 5, 2019, election Buzbee garnered 28% of the vote, enough to make it into a runoff with Turner who had 47% of the vote in unofficial returns.[22] Buzbee lost to Turner in the runoff election.[23]

Houston City Council race

On August 21, 2023, Buzbee filed to run for the Houston City Council seat for District G.[24] In the general election, Buzbee placed second with 41.31%, advancing to a runoff against incumbent Mary Huffman who earned 49.42% of the vote.[25]

Personal life

Buzbee married Zoe Benson in 1991, and they have four children together.[26] The marriage ended in divorce in 2017.[27] Buzbee became engaged to Frances Moody in 2020,[28] and they were married in 2021.[29]

In March 2016, Buzbee was arrested in Harris County on charges related to driving while intoxicated.[30] By December, the Harris County District Attorney had dismissed the case, though controversy ensued due to Buzbee completing a year-long probation program in just eight months and his previous financial contributions to the District Attorney's 2014 election campaign.[31][32]

The following year, Buzbee garnered public attention for parking a fully operational World War II-era Sherman M4A4 tank, named "Cheyenne," on Houston's River Oaks Boulevard. This incident led to a series of parking citations and a conflict with the River Oaks Property Owners' Association, resulting in the tank's eventual relocation to Texarkana.[33]

References

  1. ^ Carey, Isiah (October 30, 2018). "Attorney Tony Buzbee announces campaign for mayor of Houston". Fox 26. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  2. ^ Price, Asher (September 17, 2014). "Tony Buzbee, big-city lawyer with small-town roots, leads Perry team". Austin Statesman. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "Tony Buzbee, '97, named Texas Lawyer's '2015 Attorney of the Year'". UHLC. November 5, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  4. ^ https://www.txamfoundation.com/News/Friendswood-Couple-Commits-3-million-to-Texas-AM-University-Corps-of-Cadets.aspx&ved=2ahUKEwit0YX2ycL6AhX1GDQIHU-AAfEQFnoECCEQAQ&usg=AOvVaw1tA-uKJfJEGZoWylAWDyb4
  5. ^ McCollam, Douglas (November 4, 2010). "The Other Oil Cleanup". The New York Times. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  6. ^ Robinson, Charles (March 17, 2021). "Alleged details emerge in sexual assault suit against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson". Yahoo Sports.com. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  7. ^ TMZ Sports Staff (March 18, 2021). "Deshaun Watson Sexual Assault Accuser List Grows, Lawyer Claims 9 Women Coming Forward". TMZsports.com. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  8. ^ De la Fuente, Homero (March 19, 2021). "The number of women suing NFL star Deshaun Watson for alleged sexual assault grows to seven". CNN.com. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Ponder, Erica (November 17, 2021). "Tony Buzbee files $750M lawsuit on behalf of 120 victims of Astroworld Festival tragedy". Click2houston.com. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  10. ^ "Tony Buzbee Profile". The Buzbee Law Firm. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  11. ^ Newpher, Jim (September 13, 2011). "The Law and the Land: Attorney developer Tony Buzbee". The Friendswood Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  12. ^ "Tony Buzbee says he will lead Ken Paxton's impeachment defense". June 6, 2023.
  13. ^ Sandler, Eric (August 28, 2023). "Houston celebs Washington Ho and Tony Buzbee pop open new THC seltzer". Culturemap Houston. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  14. ^ Najmabadi, Shannon (October 31, 2018). "Boisterous attorney, political donor Tony Buzbee says he's running for Houston mayor in 2019". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  15. ^ "DISTRICT ELECTION ANALYSIS". August 20, 2004. Archived from the original on August 20, 2004. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
  16. ^ Aulds, T. J. (April 9, 2005). "Buzbee steps down as head of county Dems". The Daily News. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  17. ^ Holley, Joe (November 15, 2011). "Could Perry have sabotaged himself?". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  18. ^ Maremont, Mark (October 20, 2011). "Campaign to Pony Up for Flight Costs". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  19. ^ Fikac, Peggy (October 26, 2016). "Former Perry lawyer, Tony Buzbee, is done with Trump 'completely' - ExpressNews.com". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  20. ^ Sapino Jeffreys, Brenda (April 26, 2017). "Houston Lawyer Tony Buzbee Donated $500,000 to Trump's Inauguration Committee". Texas Lawyer. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  21. ^ Swartz, Mimi (September 9, 2019). "Could a Loud, Rich, and Scandal-Prone Personal Injury Lawyer Win Control of Houston?". Texas Monthly. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  22. ^ "Sylvester Turner to face Tony Buzbee in runoff for Houston mayor". Texas Tribune. November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  23. ^ "Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner claims easy reelection win in runoff". December 15, 2019.
  24. ^ Svitek, Patrick (August 21, 2023). "Tony Buzbee, lawyer for Ken Paxton, running for Houston City Council seat". The Texas Tribune.
  25. ^ Svitek, Patrick (November 8, 2023). "Tony Buzbee, Mary Nan Huffman advance to runoff for Houston City Council race". The Texas Tribune.
  26. ^ Bassler, Ilene (May 10, 2019). "Houston's star attorney Tony Buzbee loves battling behemoths". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  27. ^ Scherer, Jasper (September 20, 2019). "Tony Buzbee loves a good fight. He hopes voters do, too". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  28. ^ "Tony Buzbee pops the question to Frances Moody on private yacht on her birthday". HoustonChronicle.com. July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  29. ^ Hodge, Shelby (August 8, 2022). "Houston Super Lawyer Sings With a Country Music Star, Throws His Wife the Sweetest Bday Bash — This Is Tony Buzbee In Love". PaperCity Magazine. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  30. ^ Rogers, Brian (March 6, 2017). "Prominent attorney may land back in court over expunged DWI case". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  31. ^ Flynn, Meagan (December 19, 2016). "DA Anderson Personally Dismisses DWI Case Against Prominent Houston Attorney". Houston Press. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  32. ^ "Lawyers group questions Houston attorney's DWI dismissal". Albuquerque Journal. Associated Press. December 22, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  33. ^ Lomax, John Nova (October 29, 2017). "The Complete Story of the River Oaks Tank". Texas Monthly. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
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