A graduate of the Jesuit High School in Dallas, Pauken attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., from which he received his Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1965.
Pauken is married to Ida Ayala, and the couple has seven children: Thomas, Michelle, Angela, Elizabeth, Daniel, Monica, and Victoria.
Pauken entered Georgetown University in 1961 and became involved in politics as a "foot soldier in a small but growing conservative army" that was known for their support of the U.S.
The group collected more than half a million signatures from students across the nation for a petition expressing support for American soldiers in Vietnam that was presented to Vice President Hubert H.
Pauken won the chairmanship by defeating a last-minute challenge waged by still serving U.S. Representative Joe Barton of Ennis, whose district at the time stretched from the Dallas southern suburbs to Bryan-College Station.
In 1996, Bill Price, a social conservative who had opposed Pauken when he ran for state chairman in 1994, led an effort to deny the naming of U.S.
The issue became divisive at the state convention even though Senator Robert Dole already had secured enough delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.
Pauken also initiated the creation of the Texas Back to Work program, which offers an incentive of up to $2,000 to employers for hiring qualified out-of-work Texans who lost their job through no fault of their own.
[16] From the start of his tenure as chairman, Pauken has been a vocal advocate of the need to rebuild the American manufacturing industry and to place greater emphasis on the skilled trades, especially at the secondary school level.
In 2010, Pauken endorsed Perry for renomination in his successful race against Senator Hutchison and for reelection in the fall campaign against the Democrat Bill White, a former mayor of Houston, Texas.
[1] Pauken is the author of two books, The Thirty Years War: The Politics of the Sixties Generation and Bringing American Home: How America Lost Her Way and How We Can Find Our Way Back.
The book traces Pauken's early interest in politics as a debater at Jesuit High School in Dallas; his time at Georgetown in which he was embroiled in the campus conflicts over the Vietnam War; his service in Vietnam and frustration with the execution of the war; his work for and ultimate disillusionment with the Richard M. Nixon White House, and his time in Reagan administration when he was director of ACTION.
The noted conservative reporter and commentator Robert Novak, wrote in a foreword to the book, that The Thirty Years War demonstrates how "Pauken believes in what he says, and performs accordingly..."[17] Novak concluded by writing that "Tom Pauken cherishes and nourishes the dangerous idea that the Republican Party should stand for something.
Like the columnist and former presidential candidate Patrick J. Buchanan, Pauken places much of the blame on neoconservatives within the Republican Party leadership.
"[19] Bringing America Home argues that the George W. Bush presidential administration squandered the conservative political capital of the Goldwater-Reagan years.
Pauken is a frequent political commentator on Texas radio stations and television programs in addition to regular speeches to civic clubs and conventions.
A portion of his statement follows: "Those who know me know that I have never been shy about encouraging elected leaders to adhere to the Republican Party's conservative philosophy when dealing with the issue of taxes.
Pauken contended a system of "test learning" de-emphasizes a more wholistic educational approach and leads to a higher number of dropouts.
He proposed a multi-pathway system by which high school students can learn career-centric math and science skills, while earning certifications and licenses in their preferred fields.
Pauken said in an op-ed appearing in the Texas Tribune: "For those on the career path, certification or licensure in their fields is the best way to show whether or not their education was successful.
He supports expanded vocational education, greater local control of schools, and reduced emphasis on standardized testing.
[22] The winner of the primary runoff election was John Cornyn, the state's current senior U.S. senator and a candidate for reelection to a third term in 2014.