State Rep. Tom Craddick
First elected to the Texas House in 1968 at age 25, Rep. Craddick is the longest-serving state legislator in U.S. history, the Dean of the Texas House, and a former Speaker (2003–2009)—the first Republican to hold that office since Reconstruction. He chairs the House Committee on Transportation.
- Term
- Jan. 14, 2025 – Jan. 12, 2027
- Serving since
- 1969
- Seniority
- #1 of 150
- Occupation
- Business Development Manager
- Education
- B.B.A. & M.B.A. Texas Tech University
- Next election
- Nov. 7, 2028 (primary March 7, 2028)
Contact
District
Official House District 82 map (PDF)
- Counties
- Dawson, Martin, Midland
- Cities & CDPs
- Ackerly, Lamesa, Los Ybanez, Midland, O’Donnell (Part), Odessa, Stanton, Welch
- Region
- West Texas
District Profile
- Hispanic 43.9%
- Anglo 44.7%
- Black 7.4%
- Asian 2.6%
- Other 1.4%
How this district voted
Source: Texas Legislative Council, PLANH2316 reports Red-100 (2020 Census) and Red-206 (2024 general election).
Committees
89th Legislature (2025)
Legislation
89th Legislature (2025)
Biography
Tom Craddick was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1968 at age 25, representing his hometown of Midland. He was one of only nine Republicans in the 150-seat House at the time. Since 2011, as the longest-serving member, Craddick has held the title of Dean of the House.
In 1971, Rep. Craddick was part of a bipartisan group of legislators known as “The Dirty 30” that pushed for House ethics reforms. In 1975, Speaker Bill Clayton appointed Craddick as the first Republican committee chairman in 100 years, and he continued to hold chairmanships under Clayton’s successors, Gib Lewis and Pete Laney.
Rep. Craddick served as Speaker of the Texas House from January 2003 to January 2009. He was the first Republican to serve as Speaker since Reconstruction. During his tenure as Speaker, the Legislature passed tort reform and a property tax reduction, and reformed a school finance system that had been ruled unconstitutional by the Texas Supreme Court. As Speaker, he appointed women and minorities — including 12 Democrats — to committee chairmanships.
Rep. Craddick owns Craddick Properties, a Midland investment business, and is president of Craddick, Inc. He and his wife Nadine, a Vice President of Craddick, Inc., have founded several scholarship funds, including the Tom and Nadine Craddick Presidential Scholarship Endowment for the Texas Tech University System and the Nadine and Tom Craddick Distinguished Chair in Medical Science Endowment for The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Their daughter Christi Craddick serves as a Commissioner on the Texas Railroad Commission.
Biography adapted from the official Texas House website.
Campaign Finance
TPR Coverage
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Service History
- Texas House, District 82 · 1969–present
