Policy and Law
Student Life
Texas Attorney General Abbott to speak at MSU commencement
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott will deliver the commencement address at Midwestern State University's graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. May 12 at Kay Yeager Coliseum. Approximately 674 students are candidates to earn their degrees this May.
Abbott was elected as attorney general in 2002, and re-elected for his third term in 2010. Prior to his election as attorney general, he served as a Texas Supreme Court justice and as a State District Judge in Harris County. During his terms in office, Abbott has collected more than $22 billion in child support for Texas children.
In March 2005, Abbott personally appeared before the United States Supreme Court, where he successfully defended the constitutionality of the Ten Commandments display that adorns the Texas Capitol grounds.
Abbott's career in public service began in Houston, where he served as a highly rated state trial judge in the 129th District Court for three years and was named "Trial Judge of the Year" by the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists. In 1995, then-Governor George W. Bush appointed Abbott to the Texas Supreme Court, where he served with distinction. Twice elected to the Texas Supreme Court, Abbott earned numerous awards, including "Jurist of the Year" from the Texas Review of Law & Politics and Appellate Specialists; and "Appellate Judge of the Year" from the Texas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Abbott has held leadership positions in organizations such as the Central Texas Chapter of Goodwill Industries, the Governor's Committee to Promote Adoption, Justice for All and the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research Foundation. In 2004, General Abbott served as honorary state chairman of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Texas.
A native Texan, Abbott was born in Wichita Falls and raised in Duncanville. After graduating from the University of Texas with a B.B.A. in Finance, he received his law degree from Vanderbilt University. Shortly after graduating from law school, he was partially paralyzed by a falling tree while jogging. He and his wife, Cecilia, a former school teacher and principal, have been married for 30 years. They live in Austin with their daughter, Audrey.