Changes

{{Infobox officeholder

{{Infobox officeholder

|name=Thomas Emmett "Tom" Rickhoff

|name=Thomas Emmett "Tom" Rickhoff

|image =

|image=Tom Rickhoff of TX.jpg

|nationality=[[United States|American]]

|nationality=[[United States|American]]

|office=[[Judge]] of the Texas 289th District Court (Bexar County)

|office=[[Judge]] of the Texas 289th District Court (Bexar County)

|footnotes=

|footnotes=

}}

}}

'''Thomas Emmett Rickhoff''', known as '''Tom Rickhoff''' (born July 13, 1944), is a [[Republican Party|Republican]] former probate [[judge]] from [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]]. He was the presided in the suit against billionaire sports team owner and automobile dealer Thomas Milton "Tom" Benson (1927-2018) filed by Benson's estranged adopted daughter.

'''Thomas Emmett Rickhoff''', known as '''Tom Rickhoff''' (born July 13, 1944), is a [[Republican Party|Republican]] former probate [[judge]] from [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]]. He presided in the suit against billionaire sports team owner and automobile dealer Thomas Milton "Tom" Benson (1927-2018) filed by Benson's estranged adopted daughter.

In the [[general election]] held on November 6, 2018, Rickhoff, the Republican nominee for Bexar County administrative judge, was defeated by the long-term [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] incumbent, Nelson William Wolff (born 1940).

In the [[general election]] held on November 6, 2018, Rickhoff, the Republican nominee for Bexar County administrative judge, was defeated by the long-term [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] incumbent, Nelson William Wolff (born 1940).

==Career==

==Career==

Rickhoff was admitted to the practice of law in 1969 and was from 1987 to 2000 an associate [[professor]] of law at his alma mater, St. Mary's  School of Law. From 1974 to 1977, he was an assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas. He was also during this period a special trial attorney for the [[United States Department of Justice]], having worked against the [[Mafia]] in the [[New Orleans]] field office of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Strike Force.<ref name=bio/>

Rickhoff was admitted to the practice of law in 1969 and was from 1987 to 2000 an associate [[professor]] of law at his alma mater, St. Mary's  School of Law. From 1974 to 1977, he was an assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas. He was also during this period a special trial attorney for the [[United States Department of Justice]], having worked against the [[Mafia]] in the [[New Orleans]] field office of the Organized Crime and Racketeering Strike Force.<ref name=bio/>

   

   

In 1978, Rickhoff was elected county clerk, the first member of his party to hold countywide office in historically [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Bexar County  since [[Reconstruction]].<ref name=gophist>{{cite web|url=http://www.bexargop.org/history.php|title=History of the Republican Party of Bexar County|publisher=bexargop.org|accessdate=March 2, 2015}}</ref><ref>Though Tom Rickhoff was the first San Antonio Republican in countywide office, as early as 1962, San Antonio Republicans elected two justices of the peace, Bob Strickland and Frank Vaughn, and a constable, Bill Hancock, who switched parties and sought reelection as a Republican.</ref> For his reforms in the office, Rickhoff was named "Politician of the Year" in 1979 by the defunct ''San Antonio Light'' [[newspaper]]. His brother, Republican Gerard C. "Gerry" Rickhoff, has been since 1995 theBexar  county clerk, a positionearlier held by Tom Rickhoff.<ref name=bio/>

In 1978, Rickhoff was elected county clerk, the first member of his party to hold countywide office in historically [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] Bexar County  since [[Reconstruction]].<ref name=gophist>{{cite web|url=http://www.bexargop.org/history.php|title=History of the Republican Party of Bexar County|publisher=bexargop.org|accessdate=March 2, 2015}}</ref><ref>Though Tom Rickhoff was the first San Antonio Republican in countywide office, as early as 1962, San Antonio Republicans elected two justices of the peace, Bob Strickland and Frank Vaughn, and a constable, Bill Hancock, who switched parties and sought reelection as a Republican.</ref> For his reforms in the office, Rickhoff was named "Politician of the Year" in 1979 by the defunct ''San Antonio Light'' [[newspaper]]. His brother, Republican Gerard C. "Gerry" Rickhoff, has been since 1995 theBexar  county clerk, a positionearlier held by Tom Rickhoff.<ref name=bio/>

   

   

In 1981, Republican [[Governor]] [[Bill Clements]] appointed Rickhoff as the judge of the 289th District Court in San Antonio. He was elected to a full term in the office in 1982 with 59 percent of the vote,<ref name=bio/> even as Clements went down to defeat statewide at the hands of his gubernatorial opponent, state Attorney General [[Mark White]]. Three other Republicans, [[Roy Barrera, Jr.]], David Peeples, and David Berchelmann, were also elected to state court judgeships in Bexar County in 1982.<ref name=gophist/> In 1986, Rickhoff was reelected judge to a second full four-year with 65.5 percent, the largest share of the vote attained by that time by a countywide Republican candidate in Bexar County history. Unopposed for reelection in 1990, Rickhoff left the 289th Court upon his narrow election in 1992 to the Fourth Court of Appeals. He unseated the Democrat Judge Ron Carr, 291,643 (51.3 percent) to 277,248 (48.7 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist5_state.htm|title=Texas general election returns|date=November 3, 1992|publisher=Texas Secretary of State|accessdate=March 2, 2015}}</ref>

In 1981, Republican [[Governor]] [[Bill Clements]] appointed Rickhoff as the judge of the 289th District Court in San Antonio. He was elected to a full term in the office in 1982 with 59 percent of the vote,<ref name=bio/> even as Clements went down to defeat statewide at the hands of his gubernatorial opponent, state Attorney General [[Mark White]]. Three other Republicans, [[Roy Barrera, Jr.]], [[David Peeples]], and [[David Berchelmann]], were also elected to state court judgeships in Bexar County in 1982.<ref name=gophist/> In 1986, Rickhoff was reelected judge to a second full four-year with 65.5 percent, the largest share of the vote attained by that time by a countywide Republican candidate in Bexar County history. Unopposed for reelection in 1990, Rickhoff left the 289th Court upon his narrow election in 1992 to the Fourth Court of Appeals. He unseated the Democrat Judge Ron Carr, 291,643 (51.3 percent) to 277,248 (48.7 percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist5_state.htm|title=Texas general election returns|date=November 3, 1992|publisher=Texas Secretary of State|accessdate=March 2, 2015}}</ref>

In 2001, Rickhoff left the appeals court upon his appointment as judge of the Bexar County Probate Court. He was elected in 2002 to the probate court and has remained until 2019<ref name=bio/> though he faced a tough reelection bid in 2006 from the Democrat Barbara Scharf-Zeldes. Rickhoff collects state retirement from his previous time on the appeals court as well as his $161,492 annual salary on the probate court. In 2014, Rickhoff took off sixty-five days of work, including time for a vacation to [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. Along with Polly Jackson Spencer, Rickhoff is one of two probate judges for Bexar County. There is no limit on how much time off a probate judge can take each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expressnews.com/news/news_columnists/gilbert_garcia/article/Rickhoff-s-extended-vacation-on-the-probate-court-5832309.php|title=Rickhoff's extended vacation on the probate court|publisher=''The San Antonio Express-News''|author=Gilbert Garcia|date=October 18, 2014|accessdate=March 2, 2015}}</ref>

In 2001, Rickhoff left the appeals court upon his appointment as judge of the Bexar County Probate Court. He was elected in 2002 to the probate court and has remained until 2019<ref name=bio/> though he faced a tough reelection bid in 2006 from the Democrat Barbara Scharf-Zeldes. Rickhoff collects state retirement from his previous time on the appeals court as well as his $161,492 annual salary on the probate court. In 2014, Rickhoff took off sixty-five days of work, including time for a vacation to [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]]. Along with Polly Jackson Spencer, Rickhoff is one of two probate judges for Bexar County. There is no limit on how much time off a probate judge can take each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.expressnews.com/news/news_columnists/gilbert_garcia/article/Rickhoff-s-extended-vacation-on-the-probate-court-5832309.php|title=Rickhoff's extended vacation on the probate court|publisher=''The San Antonio Express-News''|author=Gilbert Garcia|date=October 18, 2014|accessdate=March 2, 2015}}</ref>

Rickhoff called the system "pay to play" and cited the example of Richard Wells of the Dailey-Wells Company, which won a $106 million public-safety radio system contract with both the city and the county. Wells contributed $10,000 to Wolff's campaign in 2017. Wolff said that the choice of another vendor would have cost the county $12 million in additional costs.<ref name=scherer/>

Rickhoff called the system "pay to play" and cited the example of Richard Wells of the Dailey-Wells Company, which won a $106 million public-safety radio system contract with both the city and the county. Wells contributed $10,000 to Wolff's campaign in 2017. Wolff said that the choice of another vendor would have cost the county $12 million in additional costs.<ref name=scherer/>

On March 24, 2018, columnist Brian Chasnoff of ''The San Antonio Express-News'' interjected the name of Republican [[U.S. Representative]] [[Louie Gohmert]] of Tyler, Texas into the Rickhoff-Wolff campaign. Chasnoff called Gohmert "infamous for kooky conspiracy theories, including his claim in 2010 that pregnant undocumented women were crossing the border to give birth to 'terror babies' with U.S. citizenship."<ref name=chasnoff>Brian Chasnoff, "Rickhoff channels Gohmert in county race", ''The San Antonio Express-News'', March 24, 2018, p. A2.</ref> The notes that Rickhoff, like Gohmert, often uses flow charts to bolster his arguments. Rickhoff, however, made clear that he is no admirer of the [[conservative]] Gohmert: "I don't ever want to hear his name."<ref name=chasnoff/>

On March 24, 2018, columnist Brian Chasnoff of ''The San Antonio Express-News'' interjected the name of Republican [[U.S. Representative]] [[Louie Gohmert]] of Tyler, Texas into the Rickhoff-Wolff campaign. Chasnoff called Gohmert "infamous for kooky conspiracy theories, including his claim in 2010 that pregnant undocumented women were crossing the border to give birth to 'terror babies' with U.S. citizenship."<ref name=chasnoff>Brian Chasnoff, "Rickhoff channels Gohmert in county race", ''The San Antonio Express-News,'' March 24, 2018, p. A2.</ref> The notes that Rickhoff, like Gohmert, often uses flow charts to bolster his arguments. Rickhoff, however, made clear that he is no admirer of the [[conservative]] Gohmert: "I don't ever want to hear his name."<ref name=chasnoff/>

==2020 Precinct 3 county commissioners race==

==Precinct 3 county commissioners race, 2020==

Rickhoff is among eight Republicans running in the primary election on March 3 for the Precinct 3 seat on the Bexar County Commissioners Court. Another candidate, Weston Martinez, is a movement conservative who lost a race in 2018 for the Texas Railroad Commission. Other candidates seeking the commissioners post are Trish Deberry, John "The Marine" Casares, Ellen Pfeiffer, Judy Stuller, Kenny Vallespin, and Celeste Brown.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2020/01/06/this-is-the-2020-republican-march-primary-ballot-for-bexar-county/|title=This is the 2020 Republican March Primary ballot for Bexar County|publisher=ksat.com|accessdate=February 18, 2020}}</ref> Three Democrats are seeking their party nomination on March 3 for the Precinct 3 seat.

Rickhoff was among eight Republicans running in the primary election on March 3, 2020, for the Precinct 3 seat on the Bexar County Commissioners Court. The incumbent [[Moderate Republican]] Kevin Wolff, a son of Democratic Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, did not seek reelection. Another candidate, Weston Martinez, is a movement conservative who lost a race in 2018 for the Texas Railroad Commission.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ksat.com/news/politics/2020/01/06/this-is-the-2020-republican-march-primary-ballot-for-bexar-county/|title=This is the 2020 Republican March Primary ballot for Bexar County|publisher=ksat.com|accessdate=February 18, 2020}}</ref>

 

Though Rickhoff won a runoff slot in the election held on July 14, he was defeated by Trish DeBerry, who now faces the Democrat Christine Hortick. The founder of the marketing agency, the DeBerry Group, and a former [[television]] anchor, DeBerry ran unsuccessfully for mayor of San Antonio.in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ksat.com/vote-2020/2020/07/14/texas-runoff-election-results-bexar-county-commissioner-precinct-3-republican-tom-rickhoff-and-trish-deberry/|title=Trish DeBerry wins GOP nomination for Bexar County Commissioner Precinct 3: ... to face Democrat Christine Hortick in November|publisher=KSAT Radio|date=July 15, 2020|accessdate=August 1, 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life==

==Personal life==