Texas Historical marker for the Bivins Home

Miles Teel Bivins (November 22, 1947 – October 26, 2009) was an American

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and politician. He served as a Republican member for the 31st district of the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

, and also as the 18th United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden.

Early life and education

Born in

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

, Bivins was the son of Betty Teel Lovell and Lee Truscott Bivins. He had three brothers. He attended

Colorado Academy Colorado Academy (CA) is an independent nonsectarian, co-educational, college preparatory day school for students from Pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade. The school's campus is located in Lakewood, Colorado, and serves approximately 1000 ...

and then

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

, where he earned his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1970. He also attended

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

law school A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for b ...

, where he earned his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree in 1974.

Career

In 1989, Bivins won election in the 31st district of the

. He succeeded politician Bill Sarpalius. Bivins was listed in ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...

s "The Best and Worst Legislators" four times. In 2004, he was succeeded by Kel Seliger in a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

. Bivins then served as the 18th

United States ambassador to Sweden The United States ambassador to the Kingdom of Sweden () serves as the official diplomatic representative of the United States to the Monarchy of Sweden, King and the Government of Sweden, Government of the Kingdom of Sweden. Sweden – United S ...

, having been nominated by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

. In 2006, Bivins became ill and resigned from his post; he was succeeded by Michael M. Wood. Bivins returned to the United States to reside in Texas. He

endowed A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are ...

the Teel Bivins Chair of Political Science at

West Texas A&M University West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Associat ...

Personal life

Bivins died on October 26, 2009, in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, at the age of 61.

Election history

Election history of Bivins from 1992.Uncontested primary elections are not shown.

Most recent election

2002

Previous elections

1998

1994

1992

References

External links

Teel Bivins, U.S. Ambassador to Sweden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bivins, Teel 1947 births 2009 deaths Politicians from Amarillo, Texas Republican Party Texas state senators Ambassadors of the United States to Sweden Tulane University alumni Southern Methodist University alumni Colorado Academy alumni 21st-century American diplomats 21st-century members of the Texas Legislature 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature