Senfronia Thompson

Background

Thompson, Senfronia was born on January 1, 1939 in Booth, Texas, United States. Daughter of Lindsey and Thelma Waterhouse Paige.

Education

A Bachelor of Science in biology and a Master"s degree in education from Texas Southern University. A Juris Doctorate from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. And a post-law degree, Master of Law in International Law from the University of Houston.

Career

Thompson is the former Dean of Women Legislators in Texas. She has been elected to 20 terms in office. Thompson also advises the United Negro College Fund in Texas.

She holds multiple advanced college degrees.

Thompson has two adult children, one grandson, one granddaughter and one great-granddaughter. She represents HD 141, which covers northeast Houston and the Humble area.

In 1983, Texas Monthly magazine classified Thompson, along with Kae T. Patrick of San Antonio and Erwin Barton of Pasadena, as "Used Furniture", meaning among the most inconsequential of legislators in that particular session. Thompson is the dean of women legislators, having served longer in the legislature than any other African-American woman in Texas history.

A Houston attorney, Thompson is serving her twentieth term in the Texas House of Representatives.

In 2015, Thompson sponsored legislation (House Bill 3389) limiting the right of craft brewers in Texas to directly market their product in an effort to bolster the three-tier distribution system. The National Institute on Money and State Politics noted that Thompson accepted campaign donations of $34,000 from the Beer Alliance of Texas and over $20,000 from Licensed Beverage Distributors and over $15,000 from Wholesale Distributors of Texas. In 2015, House Bill 1653 bill was submitted to the Texas State Legislature and would have granted Tesla Motors the legal ability to sell cars directly to consumers in Texas.

However, the bill died in committee when the deadline for consideration passed at midnight on May 14th.

Republican Thompson criticized the bill stating, "I can appreciate Tesla wanting to sell cars, but I think it would have been wiser if Mr. Tesla had sat down with the car dealers first." Republican

Thompson incorrectly assumed that Tesla Motors was run by "Mr. Tesla"; in fact Tesla Motors was founded by Elon Musk, who named the company after the famed engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla, who died in 1943.

Thompson has received over $20,000 in campaign donations from the Texas Automobile Dealers Association.

Achievements

• Senfronia Thompson has been listed as a noteworthy state legislator by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Member of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Young Women’s Christian Association, N. Harris County Chamber of C., National Bar Association, United Negro College Fund, Women's Political Caucus, National Organization Women, Black Women Lawyers Association, National Council Negro Women, Catholic Daughters America.

Connections

2 children.

Father:

Lindsey Paige

Mother:

Thelma Waterhouse Paige