New Cornyn Bill to Honor Former Texas Senator and Ambassador Signed Into Law
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after his legislation to rename a U.S. Post Office in New Braunfels, Texas after former U.S. Senator Bob Krueger (D-TX), who passed away earlier this year, was signed into law:
“Whether he was walking the halls of Congress or serving as an U.S. ambassador overseas, Bob was a devoted and thoughtful public servant,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I am proud to honor the legacy of my fellow Texan and a distinguished humanitarian.”
U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett (TX-21) led the passage of this legislation in the House of Representatives.
Biography of Senator Bob Krueger:
A descendant of German immigrants who settled in the Texas Hill Country, Robert Charles Krueger was born on September 19, 1935, in New Braunfels, Texas. After graduating from Southern Methodist University (B.A., 1957) and Duke University (M.A., 1958), Krueger received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Oxford in 1964. For several years, he taught English at Duke University, where he was dean of the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.
From 1975 to 1979, Krueger served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat from the 21st Congressional District of Texas. Krueger served in President Jimmy Carter’s administration as Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Mexican Affairs in the State Department from 1979 to 1981. In 1990, he was elected to the Texas Railroad Commission in 1990.
In 1993, Texas Governor Ann Richards selected Krueger to fill Lloyd Bentsen’s vacated U.S. Senate seat, serving only five months after losing a special election to future Texas Republican U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. In 1994, President Bill Clinton appointed Krueger as Ambassador to Burundi, and after two years, he became Ambassador to Botswana, serving until 1999. With a foreword by Desmond Tutu, From Bloodshed to Hope in Burundi is a compelling account of Krueger’s service as the U.S. Ambassador to Burundi, a position he started shortly after the 1994 genocide in neighboring Rwanda.