Tom Schieffer - Involvement in Dallas - Ft. Worth Area

Ft. Worth Area

Schieffer’s civic and charitable interests have focused on politics, education and youth activities. He was the Tarrant County Coordinator for Governor White, the Finance Chairman for U.S. Representative Pete Geren and active for many years in the campaigns of Senator Bentsen. In 1987, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Tarrant County Junior College, a publicly elected Board and was elected without opposition in 1988. Over the years, Schieffer has served on numerous charitable and civic Boards and has received numerous civic and humanitarian awards.

In 1989, Schieffer became a partner of George W. Bush and Edward W. Rose in Ballpark Development, the company that bought the Texas Rangers baseball club. He served as team President for eight years, responsible for the operations of the company as well as the building of The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. By the time Bush was elected Republican Governor of Texas in 1994, Schieffer was identified as a political supporter.

The partnership sold the team in June 1998, but Schieffer stayed on until April 1999, when he resigned to become a consultant. He continued to lead the J. Thomas Schieffer Management Company, which he headed until he was nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Australia by the incoming Bush Administration in 2001. He also served on the boards of the Penrose Foundation, the Dallas County Community College Foundation, the Tarrant County College Foundation and the Winston School. He was also a member of the executive committee of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce where he co-chaired the Legislative Affairs Committee.