Drew Darby

{{short description|Texas state legislator}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = William Drew Darby | image = Drew Darby.jpg | image_size = | caption = Darby in 2015 | state_house = Texas | district = 72nd | party = Republican | term_start = January 9, 2007 | term_end = | preceded = Scott Edward Campbell | succeeded = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1947|2|22}} | birth_place = San Angelo, Texas, U.S. | occupation = {{hlist|Attorney|businessman}} | spouse = Clarisa Darby | children = 5 | alma_mater = {{ubil|University of Texas at Austin (BBA, JD)|University of Virginia Darden School of Business {{nobr|(Emerging Leaders Program)}}}} | footnotes = | blank1 = Website{{0|00000}} | data1 = {{url|https://drewdarby.com/|Campaign website}} }} '''William Drew Darby''' (born February 22, 1947) is a Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from his native San Angelo, Texas. He represents District 72, which comprises the West Texas counties of Coke, Concho, Glasscock, Howard, Irion, Reagan, Runnels, Sterling, and Tom Green.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.txdirectory.com/online/person/?id=28291 |title=Rep. Drew Darby |website=Texas State Directory Online}}</ref>

== Early life == Darby is a former member of the San Angelo City Council. He is a past chairman of the San Angelo Water Advisory Board and the Lake Nasworthy Advisory Board.

==Texas House of Representatives== The Texas Association of Counties honored Darby as a "Friend of County Government" in 2009 and 2011.<ref>{{cite web|date=November 15, 2013|title=Rep. Darby honored for work with county " Standard-Times|url=http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/nov/10/rep-darby-honored-for-work-with-county/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202224547/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2009/nov/10/rep-darby-honored-for-work-with-county/|archive-date=December 2, 2013|access-date=November 22, 2013|publisher=Gosanangelo.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Darby to get 'Friend of County Government' award " Standard-Times|url=http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/nov/28/darby-to-get-friend-of-county-government-award/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111201005438/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/nov/28/darby-to-get-friend-of-county-government-award/|archive-date=December 1, 2011|access-date=November 22, 2013|publisher=Gosanangelo.com}}</ref>

Darby was renominated for a fifth term in House District 72 in the Republican primary held on March 4, 2014. He received 11,697 votes (79.5%) to his intra-party challenger Shannon Thomason's 3,022 (20.5%).<ref>{{cite web|title=Republican primary election returns|url=https://team1.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/mar04_169_state.htm?x=0&y=3852&id=407|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307081703/https://team1.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/mar04_169_state.htm?x=0&y=3852&id=407|archive-date=March 7, 2014|access-date=March 6, 2014|publisher=team1.sos.state.tx.us}}</ref>

Darby ran without opposition in the general election held on November 6, 2018.

In the 2013 Texas legislative session, Darby was chairman of the House Redistricting Committee and sat on the Appropriations (as chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Business and Economic Development and Regulatory Agencies) and Higher Education committees.<ref>{{cite web|title=House Committee Assignments|url=http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/13090/house-committee-assignments|access-date=January 1, 2014|publisher=Burnt Orange Report}}</ref>

In the 2015 Texas legislative session, Darby was chairman of the House Energy Resources Committee and sat on the Ways & Means Committee.<ref>{{cite web|title=Representative Drew Darby named Chairman of House Energy Resources Committee, Appointed to Ways and Means|url=http://sanangelolive.com/news/texas/2015-02-06/representative-drew-darby-named-chairman-house-energy-resources-committee|access-date=February 9, 2017|publisher=San Angelo LIVE!}}</ref>

In the 2017 Texas legislative session, Darby serves as chairman of the House Energy Resources Committee and chairman of the Select Committee on State and Federal Power and Responsibility. He also serves on the House Ways & Means and Redistricting committees.<ref>{{cite web|title=San Angelo's Drew Darby to chair House Energy Committee|url=http://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/local/2017/02/09/san-angelos-drew-darby-chair-house-energy-committee/97699980/|access-date=February 9, 2017|work=San Angelo Standard-Times}}</ref>

==Personal life== Darby is a native of San Angelo.<ref>{{cite web|author=Enrique Rangel Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Austin Bureau |url=http://lubbockonline.com/stories/041107/loc_041107007.shtml |title=A moving plea: Darby pushes for ASU to join Tech | Lubbock Avalanche-Journal |publisher=Lubbock Online |date=April 11, 2007 |access-date=November 22, 2013}}</ref> He was arrested in November 2013, for having brought a gun in his carry-on bag through a security checkpoint at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://eu.statesman.com/story/news/2013/11/22/state-rep-drew-darby-charged-with-taking-weapon-to-austin-airport/9930202007/ |title=State Rep. Drew Darby charged with taking weapon to Austin... |publisher=statesman.com |access-date=November 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131123125211/http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/crime-law/state-rep-drew-darby-charged-with-taking-weapon-to/nb2gg/ |archive-date=November 23, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> On January 3, 2014, Travis County 147th Criminal District Court Judge Cliff Brown granted the Travis County District Attorney's office request to dismiss the case when the investigation found no intent by Darby to violate the law.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2014/jan/10/judge-dismisses-darbys-charges-for-carrying-gun/ |title=Judge dismisses Darby's charges for carrying gun into airport |publisher=gosanangelo.com |access-date=January 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112043948/http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2014/jan/10/judge-dismisses-darbys-charges-for-carrying-gun/ |archive-date=January 12, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

He is a member of the Texas Farm Bureau, the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers' Association, the Tom Green County Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, and the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce.<ref>{{cite web |title=Representative Drew Darby {{!}} About |url=https://www.drewdarby.com/about/ |website=Drew Darby |access-date=July 3, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/legeLeaders/members/memberDisplay.cfm?memberID=5642&searchparams=chamber=~city=~countyID=0~RcountyID=~district=~first=~gender=~last=darby~leaderNote=~leg=~party=~roleDesc=~Committee=|title=Member Profile: Rep. Drew Darby|publisher=Texas Legislative Reference Library}} *{{cite web|url=https://house.texas.gov/members/member-page/?district=72|title=Rep. Darby, Drew: District 72|publisher=Texas House of Representatives}}{{CongLinks | congbio= | votesmart=49842 | fec= | congress= }}

{{S-start}} {{s-par|us-tx-hs}} {{succession box | before=Scott Edward Campbell | title={{nobr|Texas State Representative for District 72}} | years=2007–present | after=Incumbent}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darby, Drew}} Category:1947 births Category:Living people Category:McCombs School of Business alumni Category:University of Texas School of Law alumni Category:University of Virginia Darden School of Business alumni Category:Texas lawyers Category:Businesspeople from Texas Category:People from San Angelo, Texas Category:Texas city council members Category:Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Category:21st-century members of the Texas Legislature