Tony Buzbee Biography

Tony Buzbee is an American lawyer and politician. On October 30, 2018, Buzbee announced he would be running for mayor of Houston, Texas. Buzbee is also a property developer, working to redevelop historic downtown Friendswood.

He owns Buzbee Properties, a residential and commercial real estate firm focused on the south Texas communities of Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Webster, Pasadena, Clear Lake, League City, Kemah, and Seabrook. Buzbee also owns various retail entities, commercial buildings, and several hotels in Florida.

In 2002, the legal publication Texas Lawyer named Buzbee as a Top 5 “Go-To” Lawyer for Commercial Litigation in the State of Texas. He has been selected multiple times as a Texas “Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters (2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014).

10 Quick Facts About Tony Buzbee

Tony Buzbee Age

His exact date and year of birth are not known but according to Wikipedia, he was born between 1968 and 1969 in Atlanta, Texas, United States. He is about 50 to 53 years old.

Tony Buzbee Early Life And Education

Buzbee grew up in Atlanta, Texas on a farm-house with his parents and three siblings. Buzbee earned a B.S. in Psychology from Texas A&M University and a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, where he was managing editor of the Houston Law Review. Between college and law school, Buzbee served as a Marine Officer and reached the rank of captain.

Tony Buzbee Wife And Children

Tony got married to Zoe Benson in 1991. They later divorced in 2017. They have four children.

Details about his children’s names will be updated as soon as information from a trusted source is available.

On Facebook, Anthony Buzbee lists his relationship status as single. “Tony Buzbee and Zoe Buzbee were divorced in early 2017, in Harris County, Texas,” Peter K. Taaffe, of The Buzbee Law Firm.

Through 2014, numerous articles reported that he was married to Zoe Buzbee, his college sweetheart, and the parent of four children with her. A 2014 profile on Buzbee described him as married then to wife, Zoe, with four children.

A 2012 article about a multi-million dollar donation that Tony Buzbee and his wife, Zoe, gave to Texas A&M University, said that Buzbee met his wife in college and that she managed the family’s extensive real estate portfolio. “Buzbee and his wife, Zoe, who graduated from Texas A&M in 1991 with an interdisciplinary studies degree, met in an English class. She is president of Buzbee Properties, which owns and manages more than 50 commercial and residential properties in Galveston County. The Buzbee’s reside in Friendswood, Texas, with their four children,” it reads.

In 2010, Tony Buzbee gave away millions of dollars in exotic cars. “His four children are having a tougher time coming to terms with the extravagant gift of 13 exotic automobiles, including a $525,000 gunmetal gray Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR; a $250,000, canary yellow Spyker C-8; and a $250,000 Ford GT with a top speed of 205 mph,” reported ABC13. The television station reported that Buzbee gifted the cars to The Jesse Tree, “a faith-based social service agency, of which Buzbee is a longtime board member.”

In part, he was trying to impart a lesson to his children, according to the television station. “The American dream is to be successful,” said Buzbee to ABC13. “I’ve done that beyond any of my expectations. But no responsible citizen should lose sight of the obligation to help others when in a position to do so; that’s what I try, and am trying, to teach my children.” The television station reported that Buzbee was raised in Atlanta, Georgia.

Tony Buzbee Career

Tony Buzbee Attorney | Tony Buzbee Law Firm

He was a briefing attorney for Judge Samuel B. Kent, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas and then began his legal career as an attorney at Susman Godfrey LLP in Houston. Buzbee founded his own law firm in 2000 Buzbee has represented clients including horse trainer Bob Baffert and recording artist and businessman Jimmy Buffett.

Buzbee has represented multiple governmental entities, including the State of Louisiana, and the Basque Government in the Kingdom of Spain. In 2014 it was announced that Buzbee would be lead counsel for Governor Rick Perry of Texas after Perry was indicted on two felony counts which were later dismissed in 2016.

In 2009, Buzbee won the largest jury verdict against British Petroleum (BP) in history. Buzbee is the managing partner of the Buzbee Law Firm in Houston, Texas.

Tony Buzbee Political Affiliation

n 2002, Buzbee unsuccessfully ran for the Texas state House as a Democrat. From August 2003 to April 2005, Buzbee served as chair as of the Galveston County Democratic Party. Buzbee has more recently distanced himself from any partisan affiliation and has no record of party primary voting since 1994.

In 2012, Buzbee supported Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry’s presidential campaign with financial support and the use of his private jet. Buzbee also served as one of Perry’s debate coaches. That same year, Buzbee served as debate coach to Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst in his unsuccessful run for the United States Senate. In 2016, Buzbee hosted a fundraiser at his River Oaks mansion for then Presidential candidate Donald Trump, but Buzbee later disavowed Trump following the release of the Access Hollywood tape and stated his intention to write-in veteran Dan Moran for President. Subsequently, Buzbee gave $500,000 to Trump’s Inauguration Committee.

On October 30, 2018, Buzbee announced he would be running in the 2019 Houston mayoral election, challenging incumbent Houston Mayor, Sylvester Turner. He is running on a platform of universal pre-K, infrastructure improvement, crime reduction, and expanding access to 5G broadband.

Tony Buzbee Houston Mayor | Tony Buzbee For Mayor

Mayor Sylvester Turner is headed to a December runoff against millionaire trial lawyer Tony Buzbee, according to unofficial results that showed the incumbent failing to secure a majority of votes in Tuesday’s election.

Turner, who for most of the night hovered just below the threshold needed to avoid a runoff, finished with a wide lead over Buzbee but short of the majority required for an outright win. With 99.6 percent of Harris County voting centers reporting, Turner led the field with 47 percent, followed by Buzbee at 28 percent.

Bill King, an attorney, and businessman who narrowly lost a 2015 runoff to Turner but struggled this time to compete financially with Buzbee, finished in third place with 14 percent, unofficial results showed.
Councilman Dwight Boykins, who competed with Turner for the support of Democratic and black voters, trailed in fourth place with 6 percent, while former councilwoman Sue Lovell was in sixth. Seven other candidates combined for the remaining share of the vote.

In a statement released Wednesday morning, Turner framed the runoff as a contrast between “an experienced leader who has been delivering for Houston for more than 30 years” and a “Donald Trump imitator who has no experience, no ideas and will say anything, do anything or spend anything to get elected.”

“I trust Houstonians to make the right decision for our city,” Turner said.
Buzbee was on the stage of his watch party at 10 p.m., describing a humble upbringing in a small East Texas town and the feeling of now running to be Houston’s mayor.

“We’re gonna make the runoff,” he said. “We are going to win.”

Watching was a celebratory crowd of supporters wearing gold “I voted for Tony Buzbee” stickers handed to them when they arrived at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near NRG Stadium.

Buzbee, wearing his Marines camouflage shirt over a black t-shirt, told his mother he loved her, and his campaign treasurer how great he was and, taking time to get to the point, described himself as the man to represent people who have been overlooked.
“Our city deserves better than what we have now,” he yelled out before exiting the stage.

King had not yet conceded Tuesday evening, but he left his election night party at Cadillac Bar shortly before 10 p.m. after acknowledging the grim-looking results.

“We live in a very discouraging political time,” King said. “We live in a time when the hyper-partisan, loud strident voices are prevailing in this country. It looks like they may prevail in this election tonight, although there’s still a lot of votes to be counted.”
he election follows months of spirited campaigning by Turner and his top foes, who have taken sharp aim at the mayor’s first-term record managing the city’s $5 billion budget, Hurricane Harvey recovery and a labor dispute with the Houston firefighters union.

Turner has fiercely defended his record, arguing that he aptly guided the city through Harvey and helped close wide budget gaps by reforming the city’s troubled pension systems. He also has continued to contend that the city cannot afford pay raises secured by the firefighters through a ballot referendum, which a judge later overturned.

Pre-empting a widely anticipated rematch between Turner and King, Buzbee entered the race in October 2018 and wasted no time ramping up his attacks on Turner, accusing the mayor of engaging in corruption and cronyism — a charge Turner denies.

King announced his candidacy in February and built his platform around the same topic while reprising his “back to basics” campaign theme from 2015, when he lost a runoff to Turner by about 2 percentage points.

Until early September, when he began participating in candidate forums, Turner largely ignored his foes, responding to them only through campaign spokespeople. Once he began clashing directly with his opponents, however, Turner focused his attacks on Buzbee, perceiving the deep-pocketed lawyer as his greatest threat.

Buzbee is self-financing his entire campaign and has vastly outspent Turner and the rest of the field, disbursing $8.7 million of the $10 million he had poured into his campaign account through late October.

Buzbee has portrayed himself as nonpartisan and independent, insisting he wants to talk about his plan for the city instead of getting caught up in partisan labels. Turner has worked particularly hard to tie Buzbee to President Donald Trump, however, noting that Buzbee once hosted a fundraiser for Trump and donated to his inauguration.

Tony Buzbee Campaign

Buzbee’s campaign website stated that if he won the election, “The first thing I’ll do is end the pay-to-play politics as usual at City Hall.” He said he would refuse all donations to his campaign and pursue policies to prevent campaign donors from entering into contracts with the city, regulate lobbyists more effectively, and increase government transparency.

Buzbee said he would put more police officers on the streets and institute a Compstat style of policing to reduce human trafficking, gang activity, and other crime. His website stated, “As mayor, I will make it my top priority to improve public safety.”

Buzbee said that pay parity between firefighters and police officers was a matter of fairness to firefighters and compliance with the will of Houston’s voters. His campaign website criticized Turner on the issue, saying, “Historically, the mayor has failed and betrayed our firefighters in securing pay parity.”

Tony Buzbee  Political Party  | Is Tony Buzbee Republican or Democrat?

In 2002, Buzbee unsuccessfully ran for the Texas state House as a Democrat. From August 2003 to April 2005, Buzbee served as chair as of the Galveston County Democratic Party. Buzbee has more recently distanced himself from any partisan affiliation and has no record of party primary voting since 1994.

n an interview with The Texas Tribune on Buzbee said Houston, which was devastated by Hurricane Harvey last year, needs a leader “cheerleading the fact that … we shouldn’t be building in areas we know are going to flood.” He said he would put forward ideas about pension reform and other municipal issues in the months ahead.

“We have everything in place to be a world-class city, except the leadership. Am I going to get in the weeds about how many potholes need to be filled? No, that’s not my style,” he said. “My style is: I don’t need to be the mayor, my life is incredibly wonderful; I’ve got the best job in the world. I make a lot of money. I go to great places, I drink great wine, I have great friends. So unlike some people that run for mayor that need that job, I don’t need it. But I know I can do it better.”

Buzbee’s term as an A&M System regent expires in February 2019. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott could reappoint him for another six-year term, but Buzbee said he expects a replacement will be named in January 2019, and that he would then “be free to file at the appropriate time.”

This isn’t Buzbee’s first bid for public office. He ran as a Democrat for a seat in the state House in 2002 and lost. He demurred Wednesday when asked if he’s a Republican or Democrat, saying partisan labels are “bullshit.” Buzbee explained what he hopes to accomplish as the mayor of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States. First up: Ending “the pay-to-play in city hall.”

“A lot of people say that and then they take campaign donations as soon as they get elected,” he said. “I’m not taking one penny; I’m going to finance the whole campaign myself and I’ll spend more than anyone.” He clarified he would cap his expenses at $5 million “because I’m not a fool.”

Tony Buzbee And Donald Trump

n 2012, Buzbee supported Republican Texas Governor Rick Perry’s presidential campaign with financial support and the use of his private jet. Buzbee also served as one of Perry’s debate coaches. That same year, Buzbee served as debate coach to Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst in his unsuccessful run for the United States Senate. In 2016, Buzbee hosted a fundraiser at his River Oaks mansion for then Presidential candidate Donald Trump, but Buzbee later disavowed Trump following the release of the Access Hollywood tape and stated his intention to write-in veteran Dan Moran for President. Subsequently, Buzbee gave $500,000 to Trump’s Inauguration Committee.

On October 30, 2018, Buzbee announced he would be running in the 2019 Houston mayoral election, challenging incumbent Houston Mayor, Sylvester Turner. He is running on a platform of universal pre-K, infrastructure improvement, crime reduction, and expanding access to 5G broadband.

Tony Buzbee Tank

According to the Dallas Morning News, Buzbee was a supporter of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign but turned on Trump when the Access Hollywood controversy erupted over the president’s lewd comments. “In the run-up to last year’s election, he hosted Donald Trump at the River Oaks mansion and donated $250,000 to his presidential campaign. Buzbee later disavowed Trump after the release of the Access Hollywood tape in which the eventual president bragged about groping and forcefully kissing women,” the newspaper reported.

However, Buzbee later gave $500,000 to the president’s inauguration committee, Texas Lawyer reported. That donation came even though Buzbee wrote on social media, “Sorry Donald. I’m done with you. Completely.”

Tony Buzbee and Frances Moody

Frances Moody’s great-great-grandfather built an empire on Galveston Island. More than a century later, the 27-year-old is carrying on the family’s long legacy in her own way.

In April, more than 1,000 women are taking a day trip to Galveston Island. But it’s not spring break or Mardi Gras season, and they certainly are far from boarding a Carnival cruise ship. These women are CEOs, entrepreneurs and political powerhouses who are convening on the third coast for a purpose: the Galveston Women’s Conference. One of the faces behind the empowering occasion at the Moody Gardens Convention Center is 27-year-old Frances Moody. With a surname that’s been synonymous with Galveston since the 1850s, Moody was born into an iconic family whose American history rivals the Rockefellers, Hunts, Vanderbilts, and Hearsts. But as the events director for the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce, the bright-eyed beauty is far from sitting back and sunbathing; instead, she’s rolling up her sleeves and making big things happen on the island.

Thanks mainly to Moody and her team, the table sponsorships and VIP tickets for this year’s Galveston Women’s conference sold out months ago, also due in part to some Lone Star State star power: Laura Bush. The former first lady will be delivering the keynote address. “This conference is designed to inspire women personally and professionally,” says Moody. “It is a full day of listening to educational and inspirational speakers and connecting and networking with other women. We hope everyone leaves the conference feeling truly energized, inspired and more prepared for life.”

Also on the roster to speak is Jessica Herrin, serial entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of Stella & Dot Family of Brands. “I’m looking forward to hearing how she built a $300 million empire,” Moody continues. “There are classic traits of successful entrepreneurs that each one of us can develop and use not only to create a company but also to create an extraordinary life.”

It’s a life Moody is determined to live and share with others. Following the conference May 9, she is shifting gears to prep for the Ronald McDonald House of Galveston’s 30th Anniversary Pearl Gala (rmhg.org) May 18.

“I have always been so proud to be from Galveston,” says Moody, who is currently dating Houston mayoral candidate Tony Buzbee. “It is where my great-great-grandfather W.L. Moody started to build his business empire more than a century ago. My grandfather and father have continued to live in Galveston and promote Moody businesses. They have passed down their love of Galveston to me, as I am the only grandchild to reside here. I am determined to follow my family’s legacy of striving to make Galveston an even better place to live, work and vacation.”

Toney Buzbee Election Runoff  | Tony Buzbee Press Conference

Self-funding millionaire lawyer Tony Buzbee said he would spend whatever it takes to unseat Sylvester Turner and predicted a “full-on slugfest” during the five-week runoff to decide Houston’s mayoral race.

The runoff will test the effectiveness of Turner’s strategy to portray Buzbee as an acolyte of President Trump — whom Buzbee once supported — against the challenger’s own blueprint of casting himself as a nonpartisan outsider with the chops to improve on Turner’s record handling flood control, infrastructure, and crime.

After full election results were published Wednesday morning, Turner wasted no time framing the runoff as a choice between his political record and “a Donald Trump imitator” who Turner said, “will say anything, do anything or spend anything to get elected.”

Buzbee, speaking to reporters hours later, said he would not allow Turner to make the election “a referendum on Donald Trump,” promising to instead focus on matters of policy while predicting a “full-on slugfest” up until the Dec. 14 runoff.

“This is a completely new race now,” Buzbee said. “This is Race 2.0. Now, it’s a referendum on what Sylvester Turner has done, or failed to do, and I’m looking forward to making that case.”

To defeat Turner, political observers said, Buzbee, will need to broaden his support beyond the base of voters he assembled in the first round. That includes making inroads with left-leaning voters who did not support Turner, a longtime Democrat, along with winning the support of those who cast ballots for Bill King, who competed with Buzbee for conservative support but struggled to match his rival’s self-financed $10 million campaign war chest.

“I think he’ll pick up the majority of the Bill King supporters and he’ll pick up some other folks who were just not happy with the mayor for some reason,” said Nancy Sims, a local political analyst who is not affiliated with either campaign. “It’s a tough path to victory, but in 2015 we saw King come in in a similar position.”

The anti-Turner vote largely coalesced around King — who lost to Turner in a runoff four years ago — and Buzbee, with the two candidates combining for 42 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results that showed Turner at 47 percent, Buzbee at 28 and King at 14. There were 12 candidates on the mayoral ballot, including Councilman Dwight Boykins and former councilwoman Sue Lovell.

Turner faces his own challenges in securing re-election to a second term. For one, political scientists said, he must persuade enough voters to return to the polls, combatting the built-in advantage conservative candidates generally enjoy in low-turnout city runoffs.

“Mayor Turner’s biggest enemy in the runoff is not Tony Buzbee, but complacency,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a political science professor at the University of Houston. “But I don’t know if it’s a major problem, because he has such a strong and sophisticated campaign machine.”

Potentially boosting Turner’s chances, Rottinghaus and Sims said, are a host of city council runoffs in districts that went heavily to Turner in the first leg of the election.

Turner won a majority of the vote in districts B and D, and a plurality of the vote in C, F, H, and J, all of which will be decided by runoffs. Across the six districts combined, Turner received 55 percent of the vote, to Buzbee’s 21 percent share.

Buzbee’s strongest districts, E and G, were decided without runoffs Tuesday. He won a plurality of the vote in District A, the lone remaining runoff district, receiving 39 percent to Turner’s 36 percent.

“I think the city council races that are in runoffs are going to determine a lot of voter turnout,” Sims said. “And very clearly, the city council district races that have runoffs favor Turner.”

The runoff is familiar territory for Turner, who defeated King by 2 percent in the 2015 December contest. This year, however, Buzbee will have to make up significantly more ground than King, who trailed Turner 31 percent to 26 percent four years ago — a far different result than Turner’s 18-point edge over Buzbee.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Buzbee acknowledged the need to scoop up support from voters who backed King and Boykins, who finished in fourth place and was backed by the firefighters union. Buzbee said he is “looking for (Boykins’) support,” along with the backing of the firefighters.

“I’m going to be seeking that endorsement, and I certainly would welcome that endorsement,” Buzbee said.

Marty Lancton, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, made clear in a statement Wednesday that the firefighters union would get involved in city runoffs, though he declined to say more about how the union would approach the mayor’s race.

“Making City Hall accountable and fixing the fire department remain our priorities,” Lancton said. “We’ll find a way forward to help do that. Our political work is not done in 2019.”

Tony Buzbee Address | Tony Buzbee Contact  Information | Tony Buzbee Office

linkedin.com/in/tonybuzbee

• tonybuzbeeformayor.com/  (Tony Buzbee for Mayor)

• buzbeespeaking.com/  (Invite Tony as a Speaker)

Tony Buzbee Legal Issues

In December 2017, Anthony Buzbee was propelled into the headlines again, this time for pressing charges against a 29-year-old court reporter from Dallas, whom he accused of destroying at least $1 million in original Andy Warhol paintings and other artistic sculptures at his $14 million River Oaks mansion. Lindy Lou Layman is charged with a felony as a result of the accusations, which caused headlines around the world.

Media attention was nothing new for Buzbee, who represented former Texas Governor Rick Perry against corruption charges and who once parked an authentic World War II-era tank in his front yard. The Houston Chronicle reports that Layman’s lawyer is now challenging Buzbee’s story, although he has yet to specify how.

Tony Buzbee Net Worth

Buzbee has an estimated net worth of $3 million. He has earned this amount from his involvement in both politics and real estate.

Tony Buzbee Height | How Tall Is Tony Buzbee?

There is no any provided information about his height and other body measurements.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tony Buzbee

Who is Tony Buzbee?

Tony Buzbee is an American lawyer and politician.

He also owns Buzbee Properties, a residential and commercial real estate firm focused on the south Texas communities of Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Webster, Pasadena, Clear Lake, League City, Kemah, and Seabrook.

How old is Tony Buzbee?

His exact date and year of birth are not known but according to Wikipedia, he was born between 1968 and 1969 in Atlanta, Texas, United States. He is about 51 to 52 years old.

How tall is Tony Buzbee?

There is no any provided information about his height and other body measurements.

Is Tony Buzbee married?

Tony got married to Zoe Benson in 1991. They later divorced in 2017. They have four children.

How much is Tony Buzbee worth?

Buzbee has an estimated net worth of $3 million. He has earned this amount from his involvement in both politics and real estate.

Where does Tony Buzbee live?

Because of security reasons, Buzbee has not shared his precise location of residence. We will immediately update this information if we get the location and images of his house.

Is Tony Buzbee dead or alive?

He is alive and in good health. There haven’t been any reports of him being sick.

Tony Buzbee Contacts

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