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Richard Martin
Official White House portrait, 2001
43rd President of the United States
In office January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009
Vice President	Alan Keyes
Preceded by	Bill Clinton
Succeeded by	Hillary Clinton
45th Governor of Texas
In office January 15, 1991 – January 20, 2001
Lieutenant	Brian C. McMinn
Preceded by	Bill Clements
Succeeded by	Brian C. McMinn
38th Lieutenant Governor of Texas
In office April 27, 1989 – January 15, 1991
Governor	Bill Clements
Preceded by	William P. Hobby Jr.
Succeeded by	Brian C. McMinn
Insurance Commissioner of Texas
In office January 3, 1985 – April 27, 1989
Governor	Mark White Bill Clements
Preceded by	Chester S. Collingsworth
Succeeded by	Frank McDonald
Member of the Texas Board of Insurance
In office January 8, 1979 – January 3, 1985
Preceded by	Frederick Griggs
Succeeded by	Stanley A. Smith
Personal details
Born	Richard Byron Martinez April 14, 1948 Tyler, Texas US
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Gina Elizabeth Ritchie (m. 1971)
Relations	Byron Martinez (father) Catherine McCluskey (mother)
Children	Sophie Graci
Alma mater	Texas A&M University (B.B.A.)
Occupation	Insurace agent
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1966–1974
Rank	Staff Sergeant
Unit	1st Cavalry Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Tet Offensive Toan Thang III Toan Thang IV Cambodian campaign Yom Kippur War

Richard Martin (born Richard Byron Martinez, April 14, 1948) is an American former statesman who served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the 45th Governor of Texas.

Born and raised in Tyler, Texas, Martin served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He attended Texas A&M University where he studied business administration, and upon his graduation pursued an insurance career. He first rose to political prominence in the state of Texas as a member of the Texas Board of Insurance, eventually becoming its director. He was eventually elected Governor of Texas in 1990, succeeding Bill Clements. Martin was elected for three terms as governor, before running for the 2000 Republican Party nomination for President, winning the nomination and defeating the Democratic candidate Al Gore in a close general election.

Despite initial campaign promises to focus on domestic policy, Martin's presidency was met with intense foreign pressure, beginning with the September 11 attacks of 2001. His decision to negotiate with the Taliban government of Afghanistan to hand over those responsible for the attacks to the United States as opposed to military intervention was met with extreme controversy and saw him nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, which he did not win. Rolling back on the interventionist foreign policy of his predecessor, Bill Clinton, Martin's presidency was marked with the decreased presence of U.S. troops abroad and the transfer of overseas American military bases to their respective countries.

Domestically, Martin pursued fiscally conservative economic policies, signing a series of major tax cuts into law. He was largely apathetic towards federal emphasis on and advancement of social issues. Martin's presidency saw a shift away from the social conservatism that had previously gained momentum during the Republican presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush and were championed by some influential Republican donors and lawmakers.

Early life and career

Richard Byron Martinez was born on April 14, 1948 in Tyler, Texas. His father, Byron Charles Martinez (1920-1971) had served in the United States Navy during World War II, and was the founder of a locally successful tire company in Tyler. Richard's mother, Catherine Elizabeth McCluskey (1922-1995) was a cook who worked in various school and business cafeterias. Martinez is one-fourth Tejano from his paternal grandfather's side, and is also of Scotch-Irish, Irish Catholic, and German descent. While his father was baptized a Roman Catholic, Martinez himself was raised in his mother's Baptist faith, attending primary school at Tyler's First Baptist Church. From 1962 to 1966, Martinez attended Tyler High School, a secular public school.

Military career

Following his graduation from high school, Martinez swiftly enlisted into the United States Army. After undergoing basic combat training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Martinez was assigned to Vietnam to serve with the 1st Cavalry Division. During his time in the cavalry, Martinez