Alberto Gonzales Biography

Alberto R. Gonzales was born in San Antonio, Texas. His parents, Pablo and Maria Gonzales, first met as migrant workers. They settled in Houston after Alberto was born and raised a family that would eventually number eight children. Mr. Gonzales worked in construction, and later was employed in a rice mill, but there were no luxuries for this large family. Mr. Gonzales drank heavily and the house was often filled with the sound of violent quarrels, but Gonzales's mother instilled deep religious values in her children and encouraged them to do well in school.

Alberto Gonzales excelled in his studies, and was an honor student in high school, but with no history of higher education in the family, he was not encouraged to attend college. Instead, he enlisted in the United States Air Force after graduation. While serving in Alaska, he was impressed with the officers' accounts of the Air Force Academy and sought an appointment there. Once in the Air Force Academy, he found himself most intrigued by his classes in politics and government. He transferred to Rice University in Houston, graduated with honors in political science, and won admission to Harvard Law School.

Gonzales returned to Houston after law school and joined the prestigious law firm Vinson & Elkins. He was soon made a partner of the firm, and also taught law as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center. Word spread of this talented young attorney, and newly elected Governor George W. Bush recruited him to serve as a special advisor on border issues and relations with Mexico. Governor Bush was so impressed he made Gonzales his General Counsel. Gonzales was serving Texas as Secretary of State when Governor Bush appointed him to the Texas Supreme Court. When Gonzales faced re-election to the court, he won 81 percent of the statewide vote.

On the Texas court, Gonzales resisted political pressure and adhered to the letter of the law, even when this required him to anger his own supporters. When George W. Bush became President, he called on Alberto Gonzales to serve as White House Counsel. Although Gonzales was considered one of President Bush's most loyal supporters, he did not hesitate to speak his mind when he disagreed with the President's other advisers over affirmative action, a concept Gonzales strongly supported.

Although Alberto Gonzales was often mentioned as a possible nominee for the Supreme Court of the United Sates, another opportunity arose in President Bush's second term. When Attorney General John Ashcroft resigned at the end of 2004, the President selected Alberto Gonzales to replace him. On February 3, 2005, the United States Senate confirmed the appointment by a solid majority. The Attorney General stands seventh in line of succession to the Presidency. As the cabinet officer in charge of the Justice Department, Attorney General Gonzales headed the federal government's law enforcement apparatus. Over the course of his term, Gonzales asserted that preventing acts of terror against the United States was his first and most important responsibility. On August 27, 2007, Gonzales announced his intention to step down as Attorney General and return to private life.