Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

Rick Perry

Rick Perry

Credit Allegra Boverman for NHPR
Rick Perry served as governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015, making him the longest-serving governor in that state's history.

A fifth-generation Texan, Perry attended Texas A &M University and served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, piloting missions from 1974 to 1977 and attaining the rank of captain. After his service, Perry went into business with his father, a cotton farmer.

Perry was first elected as a Democrat to the Texas House of Representatives in 1984. After working on Al Gore's first presidential campaign, he switched parties, and in 1990, won the office of Texas Agricultural Commissioner after a controversial campaign managed by Karl Rove.  In 1998, he ran for lieutenant governor and won.

In 2012, Perry ran in the Republican Presidential Primary. After placing fifth in the Iowa caucuses, he skipped the New Hampshire Primary and pulled out of the race in January 2012. 

Perry suspended his 2016 presidential campaign on Sept. 11, 2015.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.