Close Adviser 
As general counsel at the state house in Austin, Gonzales advised Bush on a variety of matters, including the state’s policy on executions.
But he also helped get Bush excused from jury duty in 1996 — a matter that many media observers suggested would have necessitated that Bush disclose his 1976 arrest for drunk driving, which became public knowledge in the last week of the presidential campaign.
As secretary of state, Mr. Gonzales served as the chief election official in Texas, and helped conduct the state’s relations with Mexico.
Gonzales is also breaking ground as the first hispanic-American to serve in his position at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
“People that work hard and make the right decisions in life can achieve anything they want in America,” said Bush.
Eight Is Enough
Gonzales was born in San Antonio, Texas, but grew up in Houston, as one of eight siblings in a two-bedroom house.
Upon graduation from high school in 1975, Gonzales enrolled in the U.S. Air Force Academy , but left two years later.
“I wanted to be a pilot, but after being in the Academy for two years, I changed my career goals and decided I wanted to be a lawyer,” Gonzales has said.
He transferred to Rice University in Houston, receiving his degree in 1979, and then continued on to Harvard University Law School, getting his J.D. in 1982.
Gonzales then moved back to private law practice in Houston, making partner in the firm Vinson & Elkins, where he worked from 1982 until 1995.
Bush, beginning his first term as governor, then drafted Gonzales to be general counsel in 1995. Two years later he appointed him to the Secretary of State position, followed by an appointment to the Texas Supreme Court in 1999.
In November 2000, Gonzales was re-elected to the Texas high court, running unopposed for his seat.
Voice of Moderation?
In his 23-month stint as a state Supreme Court justice, Gonzales was considered by some observers to represent a moderating influence on a generally conservative bench.
Other saw Gonzales as more readily fitting into the conservative faction on the court, especially on business-related cases. Earlier in 2000, Gonzales sided with the majority as the Texas high court overturned a lower-court ruling allowing class-action lawsuits by car owners against the Ford Motor Co. to proceed.
However, some conservative Republicans are already sounding alarms about the appointment of Gonzales, saying his social views are too permissive.
For instance, Gonzales sided with the majority in a high court decision allowing some minors to have abortions without notifying their parents.
“Gonzales is on the Texas Supreme Court and there he has voted against even parental notification for minors who are having abortions,” said conservative leader Gary Bauer, head of the Family Research Council, in a recent memo. “The White House Counsel position often has major influence on [U.S. Supreme Court] appointments. Clearly we are going to have to encourage the new administration to stick to the pro-life position it outlined in the campaign.”
But in this and other matters, Gonzales does not sound like an official who takes his duties lightly.
“The public may be aware of our rulings on parental notification,” Gonzales told the Houston Chronicle earlier this year. “But they don’t pay that much attention otherwise. They don’t know how much influence the court has on their daily lives.”