Pete P. Gallego

Like many American families, my family started out in a small town and through hard work and sacrifice we were able to fight our way into the middle class.

We trace our roots back to the late 1800's around Alpine, Texas, the town where I was born and raised. There my parents owned a small family restaurant which was where I began to learn the value of a hard day's work.

My dad was a proud WWII veteran who refused any veterans benefits because he believed his military service was just a matter of meeting his obligation to his country. My mom took a job as a state employee to help make ends meet.

My sisters and I were expected to do well in school while also pitching in at the family restaurant. I mostly washed dishes at first. Once I got to high school I added on a job at a local clothing store. I graduated from high school in 1980 and graduated from Sul Ross State University two years later.

Finishing college in two years while balancing three jobs wasn't easy by any means but like I said – we were raised to be hard workers.

After graduation, I went on to earn a degree from The University of Texas School of Law.

After graduating from law school I served as an assistant attorney general before heading back to Alpine to serve as a local felony prosecutor. It was a great job, but I was frustrated to find that the Texas prison system was too often a revolving door - prisoners sometimes serving only one month for each year of their sentence.

My parents saw ho