New Ambassador to Mexico Is Confirmed
The Senate confirmed Antonio Garza Jr., a close friend of President Bush, to be U.S. ambassador to Mexico on Tuesday.
The confirmation came without dissent on the first day of the Senate’s lame-duck session. Garza succeeds Jeffrey Davidow, who is leaving Mexico after four years.
Garza currently serves on the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the state’s oil and gas industry. His election as a commissioner in 1998 made him the first Latino Republican elected to statewide office in Texas.
When Bush was governor of Texas, Garza served as his secretary of state and frequently accompanied Bush on trips to Mexico.
Garza is a second-generation American whose four grandparents were from Mexico. Garza grew up across the border from Matamoros, Mexico, and speaks Spanish.
Garza has said he would start his new job soon after his confirmation.
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