Thomas Allan Chambers
Born September 29, 1957 in Liberty, Texas to Allan
and Billie Mullins Chambers.
Graduated Liberty High School in 1976.
Received Bachelor of Business Administration
(B.B.A.) from University of Texas at Austin in 1981.
Received Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from University of
Houston in 1989.
Born September 29, 1957 in Liberty, Texas to Allan
and Billie Mullins Chambers.
Graduated Liberty High School in 1976.
Received Bachelor of Business Administration
(B.B.A.) from University of Texas at Austin in 1981.
Received Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from University of
Houston in 1989.
Tommy is a member in good standing of the Texas State Bar, and is licensed to practice before
all courts in Texas, the Eastern and Southern U.S. District Courts, the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of
Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tommy is currently the First Assistant Liberty County Attorney. He has worked for Jack Hartel
and the Liberty County Attorney's Office for four years. He has been President of the Liberty
County Bar Association for five years, and is the current President of the Liberty Rotary Club.
Tommy is a lifelong member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Liberty and is a
member of the Knights of Columbus. He also serves on the board for the Liberty County Project
for Aging (Liberty Senior Center.)
For information on the Liberty County Attorney's Office, please go to our web page:
About the Liberty County Attorney's Office
TOMMY'S PERSONAL STATEMENT:
My arrival in the world occurred at the old Mercy Hospital in Liberty after interrupting a
spaghetti supper at the Methodist Church. I was welcomed by my three sisters, Ann, Peggy and
Betsy. My younger sister, Nancy, arrived a few years later. We lived in the old Chambers house
(sometimes referred to as the "Octagon" house) at the corner of Milam and Webster in Liberty. I
started my scholastic life at the Immaculate Conception Catholic School, but when it closed five
years later, I transferred to the Liberty public school system and graduated from Liberty High
School in 1976. As a kid, I made money delivering newspapers and mowing yards, and I flagged
rice fields for crop dusters in high school. I saved my earnings and bought my first car, a 1964
Ford Galaxy, in 1973 from Buddy Gatlin for $550. I played some sports, joined a club or two and
sowed wild oats.
Let's face it, I did a lot of things in my youth that I'm not particularly proud of. I sat in the back
seat of a police car on more than one occasion. I made stupid decisions. Worst of all, I worried
my parents to distraction. I wish with all my heart I hadn't done those things, and I now have the
difficult problem of explaining my behavior to my children. I can say, though, that I think it made
me a better lawyer. I know it has made me a better Christian. I am grateful to all the people in my
life who gave me the chance to turn my life around and become a better person.
I attended the University of Texas at Austin and I'm a hardcore Longhorn fan to this day. My
wife is an Aggie, so you can imagine what it's like in our home the day after Thanksgiving. I
studied petroleum land management while at U.T., taking geology, engineering and business
classes. After graduating from college, I worked for Exxon Exploration as a "landman"--traveling
all over Texas and Louisiana leasing mineral rights for Exxon. Most of my work, however, was
done in southeast Texas. I loved driving the backroads of this area, and in the process acquired
a keen appreciation for the people, the land, and the history of southeast Texas. It was some of
the attorneys working there at Exxon that persuaded me to apply to law school. I attended law
classes at the University of Houston while working for Exxon. I don't know how I would have
managed both if my bosses had not taken an interest in me and allowed me to work flexible
hours around my law school schedule. I graduated from the University of Houston Law Center in
1989.
In 1990, I opened my solo practice in my grandmother's old garage near the Courthouse
square in Liberty. At that time, I had a total of $300, an old MS-DOS computer, and no legal
experience. For the next ten years, I practiced law in Liberty. I tried property, criminal, family and
civil cases, including many jury trials. I also practiced in the U.S. District Courts in Houston and
Beaumont. I argued appellate cases before the Ninth District Court of Appeals in Beaumont and
the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. I even filed a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court. It
was a wonderful 10 years and I learned how to practice law.
In 2001, I was hired as an Assistant Attorney General with the State of Texas. I worked for the
Child Support Division of the Attorney General's Office in Nederland. Driving back and forth from
Liberty every day was tough. I was working for the Jasper County District Attorney's Office when
a position became open at the Liberty County Attorney's Office in 2004. Jack Hartel hired me as
an Assistant Liberty County Attorney, and I will always be grateful to him for it. I love working for
the people of Liberty County. I get to walk to work each day and meet people from all over the
county. It just doesn't get any better than that!
I adopted my niece's children, Elizabeth and Andrew, in 1996. My niece died of leukemia,
which was a big blow to my family. We lost my father in 1996, and then my sister, Ann, in 2006.
Through it all, my mother has been a tower of strength and a true inspiration. I went through a
divorce in 2000, and I don't know what I would have done without her love and support. To have
lost her now, with all the devastation of the hurricane surrounding us, was more painful than I
have the words to express. It will be a bittersweet night on November 4 without my mother there
with me. We feel her absence from our lives every minute of every day.
Elizabeth later moved to Seabrook to live with her aunt (my niece), Laurie, and be close to Ann
during her illness. She is very involved with the Catholic church there, is a member of the
R.O.T.C., and will graduate from Clear Lake High School in 2009. Elizabeth recently attended
boot camp and will join the U.S. Army upon graduation. Andrew is now an eighth-grader at
Liberty Middle School, where he is having a great time playing football this fall. Andrew is also an
altar server at Immaculate Conception. Andrew and I began taking Tae Kwon Do lessons
together in 2005, and we both received our black belts earlier this year. We've had a lot of fun
taking the classes and traveling to and competing in Tae Kwon Do tournaments. He's a daily
source of pride.
I was a single parent for several years, then one day Lee Haidusek walked back into my life. It
took a little persuasion and a whole lot of daisies, but we were married in March of 2007. We're
living in the same house, the Chambers "Octagon" house, that I grew up in, and we've had a lot
of fun updating and restoring it (and we've still got a long way to go!) Lee's son, Colin, is a senior
at Texas Tech University, studying civil engineering. He graduated from Westlake High School in
Austin in 2005, where he participated in their football program. He's a great kid, and a wonderful
role model for Andrew and Elizabeth. I'm truly blessed to have Lee and Colin as part of my
family. I've never been happier!
The decision Jack Hartel made not to seek re-election as Liberty County Attorney was a sad
one for me. Jack has been a great friend, colleague, and mentor to me, and I will miss working for
him. My personal decision to run for his position, now that he is stepping down, was one that I
considered very carefully, particularly because of the inevitable demands it will make on my
family. However, the support and enthusiasm of my family and friends ultimately made the
decision easier, and I cannot thank them enough. I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience this year
as I campaigned to be Liberty County Attorney. Although I ultimately lost the race, it was an
extraordinary time and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
--Tommy Chambers
all courts in Texas, the Eastern and Southern U.S. District Courts, the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of
Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Tommy is currently the First Assistant Liberty County Attorney. He has worked for Jack Hartel
and the Liberty County Attorney's Office for four years. He has been President of the Liberty
County Bar Association for five years, and is the current President of the Liberty Rotary Club.
Tommy is a lifelong member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Liberty and is a
member of the Knights of Columbus. He also serves on the board for the Liberty County Project
for Aging (Liberty Senior Center.)
For information on the Liberty County Attorney's Office, please go to our web page:
About the Liberty County Attorney's Office
TOMMY'S PERSONAL STATEMENT:
My arrival in the world occurred at the old Mercy Hospital in Liberty after interrupting a
spaghetti supper at the Methodist Church. I was welcomed by my three sisters, Ann, Peggy and
Betsy. My younger sister, Nancy, arrived a few years later. We lived in the old Chambers house
(sometimes referred to as the "Octagon" house) at the corner of Milam and Webster in Liberty. I
started my scholastic life at the Immaculate Conception Catholic School, but when it closed five
years later, I transferred to the Liberty public school system and graduated from Liberty High
School in 1976. As a kid, I made money delivering newspapers and mowing yards, and I flagged
rice fields for crop dusters in high school. I saved my earnings and bought my first car, a 1964
Ford Galaxy, in 1973 from Buddy Gatlin for $550. I played some sports, joined a club or two and
sowed wild oats.
Let's face it, I did a lot of things in my youth that I'm not particularly proud of. I sat in the back
seat of a police car on more than one occasion. I made stupid decisions. Worst of all, I worried
my parents to distraction. I wish with all my heart I hadn't done those things, and I now have the
difficult problem of explaining my behavior to my children. I can say, though, that I think it made
me a better lawyer. I know it has made me a better Christian. I am grateful to all the people in my
life who gave me the chance to turn my life around and become a better person.
I attended the University of Texas at Austin and I'm a hardcore Longhorn fan to this day. My
wife is an Aggie, so you can imagine what it's like in our home the day after Thanksgiving. I
studied petroleum land management while at U.T., taking geology, engineering and business
classes. After graduating from college, I worked for Exxon Exploration as a "landman"--traveling
all over Texas and Louisiana leasing mineral rights for Exxon. Most of my work, however, was
done in southeast Texas. I loved driving the backroads of this area, and in the process acquired
a keen appreciation for the people, the land, and the history of southeast Texas. It was some of
the attorneys working there at Exxon that persuaded me to apply to law school. I attended law
classes at the University of Houston while working for Exxon. I don't know how I would have
managed both if my bosses had not taken an interest in me and allowed me to work flexible
hours around my law school schedule. I graduated from the University of Houston Law Center in
1989.
In 1990, I opened my solo practice in my grandmother's old garage near the Courthouse
square in Liberty. At that time, I had a total of $300, an old MS-DOS computer, and no legal
experience. For the next ten years, I practiced law in Liberty. I tried property, criminal, family and
civil cases, including many jury trials. I also practiced in the U.S. District Courts in Houston and
Beaumont. I argued appellate cases before the Ninth District Court of Appeals in Beaumont and
the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. I even filed a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court. It
was a wonderful 10 years and I learned how to practice law.
In 2001, I was hired as an Assistant Attorney General with the State of Texas. I worked for the
Child Support Division of the Attorney General's Office in Nederland. Driving back and forth from
Liberty every day was tough. I was working for the Jasper County District Attorney's Office when
a position became open at the Liberty County Attorney's Office in 2004. Jack Hartel hired me as
an Assistant Liberty County Attorney, and I will always be grateful to him for it. I love working for
the people of Liberty County. I get to walk to work each day and meet people from all over the
county. It just doesn't get any better than that!
I adopted my niece's children, Elizabeth and Andrew, in 1996. My niece died of leukemia,
which was a big blow to my family. We lost my father in 1996, and then my sister, Ann, in 2006.
Through it all, my mother has been a tower of strength and a true inspiration. I went through a
divorce in 2000, and I don't know what I would have done without her love and support. To have
lost her now, with all the devastation of the hurricane surrounding us, was more painful than I
have the words to express. It will be a bittersweet night on November 4 without my mother there
with me. We feel her absence from our lives every minute of every day.
Elizabeth later moved to Seabrook to live with her aunt (my niece), Laurie, and be close to Ann
during her illness. She is very involved with the Catholic church there, is a member of the
R.O.T.C., and will graduate from Clear Lake High School in 2009. Elizabeth recently attended
boot camp and will join the U.S. Army upon graduation. Andrew is now an eighth-grader at
Liberty Middle School, where he is having a great time playing football this fall. Andrew is also an
altar server at Immaculate Conception. Andrew and I began taking Tae Kwon Do lessons
together in 2005, and we both received our black belts earlier this year. We've had a lot of fun
taking the classes and traveling to and competing in Tae Kwon Do tournaments. He's a daily
source of pride.
I was a single parent for several years, then one day Lee Haidusek walked back into my life. It
took a little persuasion and a whole lot of daisies, but we were married in March of 2007. We're
living in the same house, the Chambers "Octagon" house, that I grew up in, and we've had a lot
of fun updating and restoring it (and we've still got a long way to go!) Lee's son, Colin, is a senior
at Texas Tech University, studying civil engineering. He graduated from Westlake High School in
Austin in 2005, where he participated in their football program. He's a great kid, and a wonderful
role model for Andrew and Elizabeth. I'm truly blessed to have Lee and Colin as part of my
family. I've never been happier!
The decision Jack Hartel made not to seek re-election as Liberty County Attorney was a sad
one for me. Jack has been a great friend, colleague, and mentor to me, and I will miss working for
him. My personal decision to run for his position, now that he is stepping down, was one that I
considered very carefully, particularly because of the inevitable demands it will make on my
family. However, the support and enthusiasm of my family and friends ultimately made the
decision easier, and I cannot thank them enough. I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience this year
as I campaigned to be Liberty County Attorney. Although I ultimately lost the race, it was an
extraordinary time and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
--Tommy Chambers
Tommy, Lee and Andrew Chambers (at
Lee's uncle Donnie Haidusek's 65th
birthday party in Devers last summer.)
Lee's uncle Donnie Haidusek's 65th
birthday party in Devers last summer.)
Tommy and Colin after the UT-A&M football
game on November 23, 2007. The tradition in
our family is that whichever team loses then the
attendee of that school (in this case Tommy)
has to wear the winner's colors. No need to
guess who won! (By the way, last year the
Aggies beat Texas, Texas beat Tech, and Tech
beat the Aggies--so we all came out even!) This
year Texas Tech beat both schools, and the
Aggies lost to the Longhorns, so Lee wore the
burnt orange for Thanksgiving!
game on November 23, 2007. The tradition in
our family is that whichever team loses then the
attendee of that school (in this case Tommy)
has to wear the winner's colors. No need to
guess who won! (By the way, last year the
Aggies beat Texas, Texas beat Tech, and Tech
beat the Aggies--so we all came out even!) This
year Texas Tech beat both schools, and the
Aggies lost to the Longhorns, so Lee wore the
burnt orange for Thanksgiving!
The Chambers "Octagon" house at the corner
of Milam and Webster in Liberty, Texas. The
house was built in the 1860s by Thomas
Jefferson Chambers and is a registered Texas
historic landmark building.
of Milam and Webster in Liberty, Texas. The
house was built in the 1860s by Thomas
Jefferson Chambers and is a registered Texas
historic landmark building.
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pages on our site:
| Cowboy Tom in the Liberty TVE Parade. |