Kay Bailey Hutchison

Kay Bailey Hutchison
Hutchison in 2017
24th United States Ambassador to NATO
In office
August 28, 2017[1] – January 20, 2021
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byDouglas Lute
Succeeded byJulianne Smith
United States Senator
from Texas
In office
June 14, 1993 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byBob Krueger
Succeeded byTed Cruz
Treasurer of Texas
In office
January 15, 1991 – June 14, 1993
GovernorAnn Richards
Preceded byAnn Richards
Succeeded byMartha Whitehead
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 90th district
In office
January 9, 1973 – July 9, 1976
Preceded byTom Bass
Succeeded byBrad Wright
Personal details
Born
Kathryn Ann Bailey

(1943-07-22) July 22, 1943 (age 81)
Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
John Parks
(m. 1967; div. 1969)
(m. 1978; died 2014)
Children4
Residence(s)Virginia, U.S.
Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Texas at Austin (BA, JD)

Kay Bailey Hutchison (born Kathryn Ann Bailey; July 22, 1943) is an American attorney, television correspondent, politician, diplomat, and was the 22nd United States Permanent Representative to NATO from 2017 until 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she was a United States Senator from Texas from 1993 to 2013.

Born in Galveston, Texas, Hutchison is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to entering politics, she was an attorney and legal correspondent at KPRC-TV in Houston. She was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1972 to 1976. After a brief business career, she returned to politics in 1990, when she was elected Texas State Treasurer. In 1993, she was elected to the United States Senate in a non-partisan special election, defeating Democratic incumbent Bob Krueger and becoming the first female senator in Texas history.

After being re-elected to the Senate in 1994, 2000, and 2006, Hutchison was an unsuccessful candidate for Governor of Texas in 2010, losing the Republican primary to incumbent Rick Perry. Hutchison was the most senior female Republican senator by the end of her tenure in 2013, and the fifth most senior female senator overall. In 2013, she joined the law firm Bracewell & Giuliani.[2]

On June 29, 2017, Hutchison was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next United States Permanent Representative to NATO.[3] She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a voice vote on August 3, 2017.[4]

The downtown Dallas convention center is named after her.[5]

  1. ^ United States Mission to NATO [@USNATO] (August 28, 2017). "Amb Hutchison starts @USNATO today! See her testimony on @POTUS priorities @NATO in support of our commitments: https://goo.gl/kbE5wk pic.twitter.com/WSseHzAxh7" (Tweet). Retrieved September 13, 2017 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Carney, Timothy P. (February 7, 2013). "The Great 2012 Cashout: Kay Bailey Hutchison joins lobbying firm". Washington Examiner. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  3. ^ Livingston, Abby (June 29, 2017). "Trump taps Kay Bailey Hutchison to serve as NATO ambassador". Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  4. ^ Diaz, Kevin (August 3, 2017). "Senate confirms Kay Bailey Hutchison as NATO envoy". Chron. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  5. ^ "Dallas Convention Center Named For Ex-Sen. Hutchison". KERA News. April 24, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2022.