Three weeks after graduating law school, a tree fell on him while he was jogging. He was 26. He's been in a wheelchair ever since — and in power for most of it.
Abbott sued the homeowner whose falling oak paralyzed him, winning a lifetime settlement. He later became one of Texas's strongest advocates for lawsuit damage caps — caps that would have drastically limited his own recovery. He and his wife Cecilia, granddaughter of Mexican immigrants and Texas's first Latina First Lady, have one adopted daughter.
Abbott’s take on Texas values
Abbott received tens of millions from major donors including Ken Langone and Kelcy Warren, and accepted a $600K home renovation from Warren weeks before signing a pipeline bill favorable to Warren's company.