[1] Schieffer is also a keynote speaker on international issues, trade, the global economy, leadership, and organizational management.
While in college, Schieffer worked in the offices of State Senator Don Kennard and Governor John Connally.
Schieffer ran in the 1972 Democratic primary against incumbent Speaker Pro-Tem Tommy Shannon, who was involved in the statewide Sharpstown scandal.
He won the general election that fall, winning county wide with more than 60% of the vote while Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern received just over 30% in the state.
Johnson, whom Schieffer admired greatly for passing the landmark civil rights bills of 1964, 1965 and 1968, had died in January 1973.
He was also the lead author on the bill that restricted the catch of redfish along the Texas coast, a measure that conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts had sought for years.
Schieffer also co-authored legislation that closed a loophole on child care facilities that wanted to operate without meeting state standards.
In January 1978, a federal court overturned the existing single member district plan and redrew the lines.
Schieffer remained active in Democratic Party politics, supporting candidates like Senator Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr., Governor Mark White, and Congressman Pete Geren.
He was admitted to the practice of law on October 31, 1979, and became a corporate lawyer in Fort Worth, specializing in the oil and gas industry.
Schieffer also served on the Texas Rangers Foundation Board and was active with his wife Susanne in Habitat for Humanity, the Food Bank of Tarrant County, and the Dallas Can Academy.
Schieffer's success in his law practice and business career allowed him to join an investment group led by George W. Bush and Edward W. (Rusty) Rose that bought the Texas Rangers baseball club on April 21, 1989.
Having begun as only an investor in the group, Bush and Rose asked Schieffer to be the Partner-In-Charge of Ballpark Development in July 1990.
After passage of the referendum in January 1991, Schieffer was named President of the Rangers and served in that position longer than any other individual has.
Returning to Australia on September 12 with the Prime Minister on board Air Force Two, Schieffer and the White House worked with the Prime Minister and the Australian government to invoke the ANZUS treaty for the first time in its 50-year history so that Australia could come to the aid of the United States as a result of the terrorists' attack.
Subsequently, Schieffer attended five more war time summits with the President and Australian Prime Minister in the next three and a half years as Australia helped America in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In his report to the State Department, the Inspector General said that Schieffer had exhibited extraordinary leadership and organizational skills in leading the American Embassy in Canberra.
[citation needed] Later, the State Department recognized the business plan for the Embassy organized by Schieffer as one of the three best in the world.
Based upon his work in Australia, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell and Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage recommended to President Bush that Ambassador Schieffer be moved to Japan to replace the retiring former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker as ambassador.
During his tenure in Japan, Schieffer was again cited by the office of the Inspector General for an exemplary job of leading and managing the 1000-plus personnel embassy.
Schieffer was praised by Japan and U.S. human rights groups for keeping the issue of the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean intelligence agents before negotiators.
[citation needed] On March 2, 2009, Tom Schieffer announced that he was forming an exploratory committee to consider seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor of Texas in 2010.
His campaign stressed the importance of improving education in a fast, globalizing world to enhance the future competitiveness of Texas.