AP Photo/Deborah Cannon, File
Texas state Sen. Teel Bivins, R-Amarillo, is shown in this file photo from Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003, in Austin, Texas. Bivins, a member of the Texas Senate since 1989, was a rancher and top campaign fund-raiser. He was President Bush's nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Sweden.
Teel Bivins
Former Texas lawmaker and U.S. ambassador to Sweden
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Teel Bivins, a former Texas lawmaker and U.S. ambassador to Sweden, died Monday. He was 61.
Bivins, who had been battling a long illness, died at his home in Amarillo, said family spokeswoman Sharon Miner.
The Amarillo Republican served in the Texas Senate for 15 years before President George W. Bush appointed him to be the U.S. ambassador to Sweden in 2004. Bivins had been one of Bush's most successful fundraisers during the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. He stepped down from the diplomatic post for health reasons in early 2006.
In a statement, Bush called Bivins a "dear friend and a great man."
While in the Legislature, Bivins rose to chair the powerful Senate Finance Committee and was a member of the Legislative Budget Board.
Before his election, Bivins worked as a businessman and cattleman. He graduated from Tulane University and earned a law degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Teel Bivins
November 22, 1947 - October 26, 2009
Memory Book
“ I had the honor of working for Senator Zaffirini during the time she was co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee. Senator Bivins was fair, open and...Read More » ”
Posted by: Beth Bryant - Batonrouge, LA
