Frank L. Madla

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Frank Lloyd Madla, Jr. (January 23, 1937 — November 24, 2006), was for thirty-three years a Democratic member of both the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas State Senate from south San Antonio. Madla died in a house fire in the early morning hours on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day in 2006.^[1]

Contents 1 Political career 1.1 2006 Democratic primary 2 Personal life 3 Death 4 Legacy 5 Election history 5.1 Most recent election 5.1.1 2006 5.2 Previous elections 5.2.1 2002 5.2.2 1998 5.2.3 1994 5.2.4 1992 6 References

[edit] Political career

Madla was initially elected to the lower house of the Texas legislature in a San Antonio-based district in 1972. He served for twenty years in the House until he was elected to the District 24, later District 19, state Senate seat, which is geographically large and stretches from San Antonio to as far west as El Paso. (In Texas, state Senate districts are geographically and demographically larger than United States House of Representatives districts.)

In 1985, Texas Monthly, in its biennial feature on the best and worst Texas legislators named Madla to the "Honorable Mention" category, as one of the top twenty legislators for that session.^[2]

Among the nearly seven hundred legislative bills which Madla supported that came to fruition was the establishment of the Toyota plant in San Antonio. The first San Antonio-made Toyota Tundra rolled off the assembly line only days before Madla's death. Madla also worked for years to establish a Texas A&M University branch campus in south San Antonio. In 2005, the legislature passed a bill that Madla wrote which authorized the creation of the campus. In the special 2006 legislative session dedicated to educational finance matters, Madla persuaded his colleagues to approve $40 million in tuition revenue bonds for the development of the new campus, which is scheduled to be completed in 2009.

[edit] 2006 Democratic primary

Madla had maintained his Senate seat without opposition until challenged in the Democratic Party Primary Election in March 2006 by District 118 state representative Carlos I. "Charlie" Uresti. Uresti claimed that Madla was too closely tied to the Republican leadership in the Senate and had voted in 2003 to remove 180,000 youngsters from the Children's Health Insurance Program. Madla referred to Uresti's charge as a "procedural matter." There were also questions about Madla's more than $1.1 million in campaign contributions, some from lobbyists. State Senator Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso campaigned for Uresti, breaking a Senate tradition of not campaigning against an incumbent.^[3] Uresti, a San Antonio attorney, prevailed with 56.5% of the vote to Madla's 43.5%.^[4]

After his primary loss, Madla announced that he would resign his Senate seat effective May 31, 2006.^[5]

[edit] Personal life

Madla was born in just outside of San Antonio in Helotes to Frank L. Madla, Sr., and the former Epigmenia Alcala.^[6] Madla attended St. Mary's University and graduated with a B.A. in Government in 1959, and in 1963, an M.A. in Government.^[7] Madla was married in 1961, and he and wife Rosemary^[8] had a son, Frank L. Madla, III.^[9] Madla was remarried in 1977 to the former Helen Cruz,^[10] and had a daughter, Marci Morgan Madla.^[11]

Madla was a junior high school teacher for ten years before he entered politics. At various times he worked as an insurance and real estate broker, and an instructor at University of the Incarnate Word.^[12]

[edit] Death

Madla, along with Mary Cruz, his 81-year-old mother-in-law, and Aleena, his five-year-old granddaughter, died in a house fire. Madla had been asleep in his home upstairs and had tried to escape through the bedroom window. Burglar bars on the windows trapped him, and he succumbed to smoke and flames. His granddaughter was initially thought to have survived, but was declared without brain function and died after being removed from life support a day later. Madla's wife Helen survived the blaze but was hospitalized for a time afterward.^[13] Madla's home had no smoke detectors.

U.S. President George W. Bush issued his condolences to the Madla family and promised to pray for Helen Madla's full recovery: "Frank was a dedicated public servant who devoted more than three decades of his life to serving his state and all its people in the Texas House and Senate."^[14]

Texas Governor Rick Perry ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff in Madla's honor on November 30, the day of Madla’s funeral, and 1 December, the date of his interment in the Texas State Cemetery. Perry issued this tribute: "Frank Madla was a dear friend and a dedicated public servant who was an exemplary representative for South and West Texas. Frank was a mentor to me when I came in to the legislature. He had a heart of gold and was a true Texas patriot. He and his wife, Helen, were two of Anita's [First Lady Anita Thigpen Perry] and my favorites. His death is a tragic loss to the community, to his friends and to his family. Anita and I offer our prayers on behalf of his wife Helen for her continued recovery."^[15]

[edit] Legacy

In January 2006, the former Royalgate Elementary School in the South San Antonio Independent School District was renamed Frank Madla Elementary School. Madla described the renaming as the “single best honor” to him ever.^[16]

[edit] Election history

Election history of Madla from 1992.^[17]

[edit] Most recent election

[edit] 2006

Democratic Party Primary Election, 2006: Senate District 19[18]
Candidate		Votes	%	±%
	Frank L. Madla (Incumbent)	18,936	43.48
✓	Carlos I. Uresti	24,610	56.51
Turnout		12,025

[edit] Previous elections

[edit] 2002

Texas general election, 2002: Senate District 19[19]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Frank L. Madla (Incumbent)	76,590	100.00	0.00
Majority			76,590	100.00	+37.89
Turnout			76,590		+37.89
	Democratic hold

[edit] 1998

Texas general election, 1998: Senate District 19[20]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Frank L. Madla (Incumbent)	55,544	100.00	0.00
Majority			55,544	100.00	-8.07
Turnout			55,544		-8.07
	Democratic hold

[edit] 1994

Texas general election, 1994: Senate District 19[21]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Frank L. Madla (Incumbent)[22]	60,422	100.00
Majority			60,422	100.00
Turnout			60,422
	Democratic hold

[edit] 1992

Texas general election, 1992: Senate District 24[23]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Frank L. Madla	110,534	100.00
Majority			110,534	100.00
Turnout			110,534
	Democratic hold

[edit] References

Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by New district	Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 57-A (San Antonio) 1973–1983	Succeeded by Obsolete district
Preceded by Inactive district	Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 117 (San Antonio) 1983–1993	Succeeded by John Longoria
Texas Senate
Preceded by Temple Dickson	Texas State Senator from District 24 (San Antonio) 1993–1995	Succeeded by Bill Sims
Preceded by Gregory Luna	Texas State Senator from District 19 (San Antonio) 1995–2006	Succeeded by Carlos I. Uresti
Preceded by Florence Shapiro	President pro tempore of the Texas Senate 30 May 2005–17 April 2006	Succeeded by Royce West

Persondata
NAME	Frank Lloyd Madla, Jr.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Francisco Eloy Madla
SHORT DESCRIPTION	San Antonio, Texas politician
DATE OF BIRTH	23 January 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH	San Antonio, Texas
DATE OF DEATH	24 November 2006
PLACE OF DEATH	San Antonio, Texas