Tony Tinderholt
| Tony Dale Tinderholt | |
|---|---|
| Texas State Representative from District 94 (Tarrant County) | |
|
Assumed office January 13, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Diane Patrick |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1970 Place of birth missing |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Bethany Tyler-Tinderholt |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence |
Arlington, Tarrant County Texas, USA |
| Alma mater | None |
| Occupation |
Former soldier and educator |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Website |
tonytinderholt |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
Tony Dale Tinderholt (born 1970) is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from Arlington, Texas. On January 13, 2015, Tinderholt succeeded Diane Patrick, a four-term representative whom he unseated in the Republican primary election on March 4, 2014.
Background
Tinderholt is a businessman and former soldier. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1988 and was a Spanish language cryptologist and linguist who worked in counter drug missions in Central and South America. He returned to active duty in January 2002 as a platoon leader and executive officer at the company level and then as detachment commander for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. During his time in the Iraq War, Tinderholt and ten other American soldiers lived with and trained an Iraqi Special Forces Battalion. He then returned to Dallas as a battalion executive officer. He managed more than four hundred personnel and a budget of $836 million. In his twenty-one years in the military, Tinderholt earned the Bronze Star and the Combat Action Badge.[1]
Tinderholt has lived in Nebraska, Iowa, Fairfax, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. He has been stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo and Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, and the Fort Irwin National Training Center in the Mojave Desert of California. [2]
While serving in the Air Force, from 1991 to 1997, Tinderholt attended Excelsior College, obtaining his Bachelor of Science degree. During the Iraq War, from 2003 to 2005, Tinderholt finished his education, procuring his Masters of Education and Educational Leadership degrees from Trident University International, which was once an affiliate of Touro College. After his military service, Tinderholt was a professor of Spanish at Columbia College in Fort Worth. He is the current director of training and recruiting for Eliot Management Group, LLC.[1]
Tinderholt has two children from his marriage to the former Kimberly Ann Johnson. His current wife is the former Bethany Tyler, a one-time Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. She is Tinderholt's fourth wife in his fifth marriage.[3] The Tinderholts attend St. Vincent De Paul Roman Catholic Church in southwest Arlington.[1]
Political career
Tinderholt won the Republican nomination over Diane Patrick, 7,489 votes (55.4 percent) to 6,018 (44.6 percent).[4]
In the November 4 general election, Tinderholt, with 23,034 votes (56.6 percent), defeated the Democrat Cole Ballweg and the Libertarian Robert Harris, who received 16,461 (40.5 percent), and 1,172 (2.9 percent), respectively.[5] The largely Republican district was once represented by Kent Grusendorf, whom Patrick had unseated in the 2006 primary.[6]
He was endorsed in his legislative campaign by Cathie Adams, a former state Republican Party chairman and president of the Texas Eagle Forum, neighboring legislators Giovanni Capriglione, Jonathan Stickland, Bill Zedler, and Matt Krause. Julie McCarty, the president of the Tea Party movement of Northeast Tarrant County, and Michael Quinn Sullivan, the conservative political figure who formed Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, also backed Tinderholt.[7]
On February 25, 2015, Tinderholt filed a complaint against a Texas probate judge who had issued a ruling allowing two women to marry in Travis County. Tinderholt filed a handwritten complaint with the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct against Judge David Wahlberg, rather than against Judge Guy Herman, the judge who had made the ruling about which Tinderbolt complained. He filed the complaint based on the judge allegedly missing to obey a 45-day notification period. However, as it turned out, Judge Herman had notified the state attorney general's office, which opted not to get involved in the case [8]
References
- 1 2 3 "About Tony Tinderholt". tonytinderholt.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Tony Dale Tinderholt". intelius.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ↑ http://www.chron.com/news/politics/texas/article/Texas-lawmaker-and-five-time-groom-makes-6110172.php
- ↑ "Republican primary election returns (House District 94), March 4, 2014". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ↑ "General election returns, November 4, 2014". Texas Secretary of State. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ↑ "2006 Republican primary election returns". elections.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
- ↑ "Endorsements". tonytinderholt.com. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
- ↑ "For Tinderholt, a judicial complaint gone haywire". Ft. Worth Star Telegram. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
| Texas House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Diane Patrick |
Texas State Representative from District 94 (Tarrant County)
Tony Dale Tinderholt |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
