Greg Abbott is the 48th governor of the state of Texas; in 2020, he was voted the nation’s best governor. He is charged with overseeing the ninth largest economy in the United States. He is a Republican and largely conservative in his policies. Abbott is outspoken in his defense of his state and its laws. In the last year, Abbott has been embroiled in two prominent legal battles regarding state laws. Abbott and the state of Texas have sued the Biden Administration regarding illegal border crossings. Currently, arguments regarding Texas law regarding abortion in the state are being heard in the current Supreme Court session.
| Celebrated Name: | Greg Abbott |
| Real Name/Full Name: | Gregory Wayne Abbott |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 64 |
| Birthdate: | November 13, 1957 |
| Birthplace: | Wichita Falls, TX |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 5 ft. 8 in. |
| Weight: | 154 lb. |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse | Cecilia Abbott (nee’ Phalen) |
| Children/Kids: | One daughter, Audrey |
| Dating/Girlfriend Name: | N/A |
| Is Greg Abbott Gay? | No |
| Highest Political Office: | 48th Governor of Texas |
| Profession: | Attorney and Politician |
| Colleges Attended: | University of Texas (Austin); Vanderbilt Law School |
| Degrees: | Bachelor’s (Business Administration); Juris Doctor |
| Salary: | $153,750 |
| Net Worth in 2021: | $14 million |
Biography: Early Life and Family
Gregory Wayne Abbott was born to parents Calvin Rodger and Doris (Jacks) Abbott. His birth took place on November 13, 1957 in the city of Wichita Falls, Texas. Greg’s mother was a stay at home wife, while his father worked as both an insurance agent and a stockbroker.
The family would move to Longview, Texas when Greg was only six years old. Later, the family would move to Duncanville. This move took place after Greg’s father died as the result of a heart attack. Doris would take a clerical job working in an office.
Abbott was an athlete on the track and field team at Duncanville High School, where he would graduate as a participant of the National Honor Society. His peers voted Greg Abbott “Most Likely to Succeed.”
Abbott would enroll in college at the University of Texas (Austin). There, he studied Business Administration with a focus on finance. He was a member of the Young Republicans Club as well as the Delta Tau Delta fraternal society. He graduated from UT- Austin with a Bachelor’s degree.
Abbott would further his education at Vanderbilt University. Here, he was accepted into the prestigious school of law, and he would the credentials to become an attorney (JD) in 1984.
Personal Life
Abbott met his wife, Cecilia Phalen, while in attendance at UT-Austin. The pair married in 1981. The couple have one adopted daughter, Audrey.
Cecilia can trace her lineage to her Mexican grandparents who were immigrants to the United States. She is the first Hispanic American female to be the First Lady of Texas in the history of the state.
Greg and Cecilia had been married barely three years when Abbott was in an accident that would leave him paralyzed from the waist down. Abbott was out jogging when an oak tree fell on him; a storm had just passed and wind gusts were strong on that day. Abbott was left with not only damage to his spine but also kidney damage.
Abbott was only twenty-six when he became paralyzed.
Abbott sued both the homeowner’s insurance and a tree service company. He received a $7.8 million payout in the form of an insurance settlement. Since then, he has received lump sum payments three times per year. In 2022, the lump sum payments will end, but he will receive monthly payments for life.
Abbott stated that the monthly payments help him to pay for medical expenses as well as other costs.
Age, Height, and Weight
Greg Abbott is 64 years old. He is 5′ 8″ and weighs 154 pounds.
Net Worth
Governor Greg Abbott’s net worth is estimated to be around $14 million. Some of his net worth is due to his being awarded $7.8 million in a lawsuit due to his 1984 accident.
Governor Abbott was the attorney general for the state of Texas for a number of years prior to his being elected governor. Prior to that, he worked at a private law firm, Butler and Binion between 1984 – 1992.
He was a state trial judge for three years in the 129th District Court. He was also appointed to the Supreme Court of the state of Texas by George W. Bush when Bush was the Texas governor.
Abbott would leave the Supreme Court of Texas in 2001. He worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law. He also worked at another private firm, Bracewell and Giuliani.
In 2002, he would win the position as the Texas state Attorney General. He would remain in this position, defeating his opponents in three elections, until 2013. He would then enter the race for Governor of the Lone State, a position Abbott holds today. He is seeking a third term for governor, a political race which will take place in 2022.
Career Outside of Politics
Abbott has worked in the private sector as an attorney on different occasions. When he earned his Juris Doctor in 1984, he worked for Butler & Binion. After he resigned from his position as a judge, he entered the private sector once more before he would run for an attorney general position in Texas.
Career in Politics
Abbott was a state trial judge for the 129th District Court of Texas. He worked in this capacity for three years. He has also served on the Texas Supreme Court; he was initially appointed by George W. Bush when Bush was the governor of Texas. He would also run for election for this seat a total of two times.
In 2001, Abbott would resign his position on the Texas Supreme Court. He was inclined to run for Lieutenant Governor of Texas. He was in the middle of campaigning for this position when John Cornyn, who would eventually be elected as a Texas senator, decided to vacate the position of Texas Attorney General.
Abbott would then decide to put his campaign efforts to running for the AG position. He was sworn in December 2, 2002 as the Texas state Attorney General.
During Abbott’s time as Texas AG, he expanded the law enforcement division of the AG’s office from thirty employees to one hundred. Abbott is also credited with establishing a Fugitive Unit, which was tasked with tracking down convicted sex offenders who had violated either their parole or their probation.
Abbott was instrumental in carrying out tort reform in Texas. He capped non-monetary damages at $250,000 in cases of medical malpractice.
Abbott is also famous for “suing Barack Obama” over a litany of issues. He filed thirty-one lawsuits against the Obama Administration. Many of these suits included environmental issues and Obamacare. The Wall Street Journal holds that Abbott sued the Obama Administration a total of 44 times over the life of the administration.
During his time as the Texas Attorney General, Abbott also vigorously pursued allegations of voter fraud.
Abbott also argued some key cases before the United States Supreme Court. One such case had to do with the display of the Ten Commandments at the Texas capitol building in Austin. The Court ruled in Texas’ favor, and, Justice John Paul Stevens stated, regarding Abbott’s use of a wheelchair – “I want to thank you for demonstrating that it’s not necessary to stand at the lectern in order to do a fine job.”
Today, Greg Abbott is widely known as the conservative governor of the Lone Star State. He is a loyal Donald Trump supporter, and not without reason. Abbott has fought fiercely for enforcing immigration laws and keeping the Southern border – particularly the portion of the border that runs through the Lone Star state – safe. Trump ran on building a border wall, and Abbott backed this idea.
Trump also appointed many individuals to vacant seats in federal courts across America, allegedly utilizing advice from Abbott.
Greg Abbott is a popular governor, and his policies are ardently conservative. Texas passed a piece of legislation known as the Texas Heartbeat bill; the legislation is currently being examined by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The bill is not the first piece of legislation that Abbott has put forth regarding abortion. In 2016, Abbott signed legislation that would require for either burial or cremating of the remains of aborted babies. This law was eventually struck down. In 2017, he signed a bill that would ban partial-birth abortion as well as dismemberment in abortions. The bill also required either burial or cremating of said remains. Again, this was blocked by a federal judge. In September 2021, Abbott signed yet another piece of legislation which prohibits the ability to procure abortion medication via mail after the woman has reached seven weeks of pregnancy.
Abbott has signed bills that allow for open carrying of firearms, that allow pastors to refuse to marry a couple if doing so violates the pastor’s personal beliefs, and he also called for a convention of states in 2017.
Immigration is also a very important concern for Abbott. He has sued the Biden Administration over the discontinuation of the building of the border wall, policies that handcuff the Border Patrol, and Abbott has sent the Texas National Guard to assist local law enforcement on the Texas border.
