A Texas-Sized Leap
Texas Governor Rick Perry announces his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in Charleston, South Carolina, on August 13, 2011.
Politics and Prayer
Rick Perry speaks at The Response, a massive prayer gathering organized by the Texas Governor, on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2011, in Houston. Held in Reliant Stadium, the event drew thousands of participants -- and some criticism for mixing religion with elected office.
From Lone Star State to National Stage
Texas governor Rick Perry speaks during the 2011 Republican Leadership Conference on June 18, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Rumors began circulating in early summer that Perry might have his eye on the White House even though the race was already well underway.
Inauguration. Again.
Perry places his left hand on the Bible as he is sworn-in to his third term as Governor by Supreme Court of Texas Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson on the South Steps of the Texas Capitol in Austin, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011.
Third Term
Governor Rick Perry greets supporters after his victory speech on November 2, 2010 in Austin, Texas. Perry won an unprecedented third term as governor after a bruising primary fight with Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and a general election battle with former Houston mayor Bill White.
Family Support
Perry embraces his wife Anita at the Republican Party of Texas election night party at the Texas Disposal Systems Exotic Game Ranch on November 2, 2010 in Buda, Texas.
Grand Old Party Animal
Anita and Rick Perry wave to a crowd of more than 5,000 delegates at the biannual Texas Republican Convention in Dallas on June 11, 2010.
Dead Aim
Rick Perry has some fun with a six-shooter filled with blanks at a kickoff event for a weekend of NASCAR racing at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth on Thursday, April 15, 2010.
Two-Termer
The honorable Wallace Jefferson (left) administers the oath of office to Governor Rick Perry (right) at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on January 16, 2007. The 2006 gubernatorial election proved to be a stiff challenge for Perry. Though he easily defeated token opposition in the primary, Perry faced a six-way race
... involving former Democratic Congressman Chris Bell, Libertarian James Werner, and three independents – outgoing Republican state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, well-known Texas country music singer Kinky Friedman, and write-in candidate James "Patriot" Dillon. MORE
Shared Stage
President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush pose with Rick and Anita Perry during a campaign rally on November 6, 2006, at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.
Open Arms
Governor Perry talks with an unidentified Hurricane Katrina refugee at a shelter in Dallas on Sept. 1, 2005. Perry agreed to take in evacuees from the Gulf Coast after the storm ravaged communities there.
Bush for President
Rick Perry stands with Texas delegates as they cast their votes for President George W. Bush at the Republican National Convention on August 31, 2004, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Though Perry says he gets along well with the former President, there's long been rumored tension between the dynastic Bush family and
... Perry's political allies. MORE
Portrait
Governor Rick Perry poses for a portrait on August 19, 2004, at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas.
Austin Tour
Anita and Rick Perry wave at the governor's inaugural parade on January 21, 2003.
Rancher Roots
Rick Perry stands with his father, Joseph Ray Perry, on the Texas ranch where he grew up, January 8, 2002.
Hometown Kid
Perry returns to his old stomping grounds in Paint Creek, Texas, in August 2002. Perry, a proud Eagle Scout, graduated from Paint Creek High School in 1968.
Anita Hug
Governor Perry kisses his wife Anita during a campaign announcement tour for the governor's race on January 9, 2002. In 1982, Perry married Anita Thigpen, his childhood sweetheart whom he had known since elementary school. They have two children, Griffin and Sydney.
Sworn to Serve
Accompanied by daughter Sydney, wife Anita and son Griffin, Perry attends a swearing-in ceremony as Lt. Governor on January 19, 1999, at the Texas State Capitol. In late 2000, then president-elect George W. Bush officially resigned to prepare for his inauguration. Perry subsequently the first Texas A&M graduate to serve as
... Governor. MORE
Rising Ambition
Rick Perry announces his decision to forgo a run for a third term as Agriculture Commissioner and, and instead to seek the Lieutenant Governorship on June 18, 1997, at O'Henry Middle School in Austin.
Early Promise and a Big Change
State Rep. Rick Perry with son, Griffin, on the floor of the Texas house on April 16, 1987. In 1989, The Dallas Morning News named Perry one of the most effective legislators in the 71st Legislature. That same year, Perry announced that he was joining the Republican Party. In 1990, he challenged incumbent Democratic Agriculture
... Commissioner Jim Hightower and won. MORE
House Chat
Perry communes with assemblymen James Laney and Robert Saunders on the statehouse floor in Austin, on March 5, 1985. In 1984, Perry was elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat. He has said that his interest in politics began in November 1961, when his father took him to the funeral of Sam Rayburn, the
... legendary former speaker of the Texas House and the U.S. House of Representatives. MORE
Adept Cadet
Upon graduation from Texas A&M, Perry was commissioned in the United States Air Force, and completed pilot training before flying C-130 tactical airlift in the United States, the Middle East and Europe until 1977. He left the Air Force with the rank of captain, returned to Texas and went into business with his father farming
... cotton. MORE
Aggie Brother
At A&M, Perry was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity.
Always a Leader
Perry poses with the Aggie Yell Leaders, Texas A&M's version of male cheerleaders. The Yell Leaders were composed of five students (three seniors and two juniors) elected annually by popular vote of the student body.
Texan to the Core
James Richard "Rick" Perry, a fifth-generation Texan, was born March 4, 1950 in Paint Creek, about 60 miles north of Abilene in West Texas, to ranchers Joseph Ray Perry and Amelia June Holt. Perry attended Texas A&M University, graduating in 1972 with a degree in animal science.
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