Robert D. Spellings
Robert D. Spellings was born in El Paso, Texas. But six weeks later the family moved to Fort Worth, Texas where he attended public schools and graduated from Amon-Carter Riverside High School in June 1959. He was offered and accepted a full athletic scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin where he played freshman football and was a member of the track team for four years. He graduated from UT in January 1964 with a BBA degree, majoring in Accounting. He later graduated from the University of Texas Law School in January 1968. He passed the Texas Bar Exam early and was licensed by the Texas State Bar on December 3, 1967.
Spellings early career was spent in public service. While still attending law school, he started working in the office of the Speaker of the House in the Texas Legislature. He was quickly appointed Chief of Staff to the Speaker and held the position for two and one-half years. When the Speaker (Ben Barnes) successfully ran for the office of Lieutenant Governor of the State of Texas, Spellings was appointed Chief of Staff to the Lieutenant Governor and served in that position for four years.
After practicing law as a sole practitioner for five years, Spellings was appointed as the States’ Chief Deputy Comptroller where he served under the direction of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (Bob Bullock) for three and one-half years. He also represented the State Comptroller on the Texas Legislative Redistricting Board in 1981 when the Board reapportioned both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate. (As he had done in 1971, representing the Texas Lieutenant Governor). He ended his Texas state employment in 1982, serving as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Texas Attorney General’s Office (Mark White).
Since that time, Spellings has been engaged in private practice, both in Texas and Washington, D.C. He has been involved primarily with Regulatory and Administrative matters with an emphasis on governmental relations. His clients have included major Fortune 500 Companies, industry trade groups, and others such as the Texas Bar Association and the Texas Business Law Foundation.
Spellings is a member of the Texas Bar Association and the Washington, D.C. Bar Association, and currently licensed to practice in both jurisdictions.
Other activities include:
- Member – University of Texas Hall of Honor Court
- Member – University of Texas Letterman’s Club
- Member – Travis County Texas Grand Jury Association
- Served as Foreman of Two (2) Separate Travis County Grand Juries
- Fellow – Texas Bar Foundation
- Life Member – University of Texas Ex-Students Association
- Member – Board of Directors of the Austin Club, Austin, Texas
- Member – Board of Directors of the Annette Strauss Institute
Mr. Spellings has four children and two grandchildren and resides in Austin, Texas.