October POWERhour!
Featuring
The Honorable Leticia Van de Putte
We invite you to join us at the historical Old San Francisco Steakhouse for our POWERhour! featuring the Honorable Leticia Van de Putte.
Leticia Van de Putte was the oldest of five children born to Daniel and Isabel San Miguel, a ninth-generation Tejano family with a ranching history from Eagle Pass. Her father was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington, when she was born. The family then returned to San Antonio.
After she graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, she was accepted to the University of Houston and entered into the pharmacy program. While in pharmacy school, she married Pete Van de Putte and transferred to the University of Texas at Austin, where she graduated in 1979. She returned to San Antonio, and after working at her grandfather's pharmacy, she opened her own pharmacy in the Loma Park area.
Van de Putte fell into a government post almost by accident; she was a precinct chair in 1990 when state Rep. Orlando Garcia, a family friend, decided to run for the 4th Court of Appeals, leaving the seat open. She won that election placing her into the Texas House of Representatives in 1990 where she held her seat until she won a special election to the Senate in 1999.
Senator Van de Putte joined the Democratic ticket with gubernatorial candidate, Senator Wendy Davis, as both women ran for the top two jobs in our state, those of Governor and Lt. Governor in 2014. Van de Putte continued to represent Texas Senate District 26, which consists of a large portion of San Antonio and Bexar County, from 1999-2015.
In 2003, she was appointed Chair of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus, a position she held until 2011. Van de Putte was appointed Chair of the Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee in 2002 and was a member for the Senate Committees on Education, State Affairs and Businesses and Commerce. She was also Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Trafficking.
Come hear the rest of the story of a true San Antonian, entrepreneur, and advocate for women; in addition, learn what she has planned in the way of future contributions that will positively affect our quality of life in Texas.