| Juan M. Garcia | |
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Member of the
Texas House of Representatives
from the 32nd district |
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In office 2007-2009 |
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| Preceded by | Gene Seaman |
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| Succeeded by | Todd Hunter |
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| Born | May 27, 1966 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Denise |
| Residence | Corpus Christi, Texas |
| Alma mater | University of California at Los Angeles, Harvard Law School |
| Profession | attorney, naval aviator |
Juan M. Garcia was a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing the 32nd District from 2007 until 2009 and currently the U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.
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Juan Garcia graduated with honors from the University of California at Los Angeles, where he gave the 1988 commencement address. He went on to earn a law degree from Harvard Law School and received his MPA from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. At Harvard, Garcia was a close friend to President Barack Obama.
Juan is a second generation aviator. He received his "Wings of Gold" from the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. He has flown over 30 armed missions in the Persian Gulf, including making an emergency landing in a sandstorm. He has served as a top aide to the deputy Commander in Chief of the U.S. Navy in Europe. He also served in Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia. He has served in supporting the enforcement of the no-fly zone in Iraq aboard the USS Constellation (CV-64). His military awards include the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Naval Commendation Medal, and the Naval Achievement Medal.
In 1999, Garcia was selected as one of 16 Americans to be a White House Fellow, where he served as a special assistant to Richard Riley, the U.S. Secretary of Education.
Garcia defeated 5-termed incumbent Eugene Seaman with just 48% of the total vote. A third candidate, Lenard Nelson, won 6% as a Libertarian. During the campaign, Seaman had mailed out many circulars criticizing Garcia, as did Garcia of Seaman . A scandal involving Seaman and Homestead exemption, though, also became an issue. On the morning after the election, Seaman had led by a narrow 24 votes, as there were three precincts in San Patricio still pending counts. By 9 p.m., though, the votes, hand-counted, gave Garcia the seat.
Garcia was defeated for re-election in 2008 by Republican Todd Hunter. The final tally was 50.13% for Hunter, 46.79% for Garcia and 3.06% for returning Libertarian candidate Leonard Nelson. Garcia conceded on election night.
In April 2009, President Barack Obama announced his nomination of Garcia to become the next Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. Garcia was confirmed by the Senate Armed Services Committee on August 5, 2009. His nomination proceeded to the full Senate, where he was confirmed on September 16, 2009 after having been blocked by Kansas Senators Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback.[1]
Garcia and his wife Denise, who met while classmates at Harvard Law, have four children, a daughter and three sons. They live in Corpus Christi.
   | HR Garcia webpage - Texas House of Representatives: Member Juan M. Garcia |
| | 2006 - Follow The Money | GARCIA, JUAN M |
| | Project Vote Smart - Representative Juan M. Garcia III (TX) - Project Vote Smart - |
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