Biographical Information

Representative Madden and his wife Barbara, a retired nurse, have been married 44 years. They are the proud parents of three adult children - Jerry, Stephanie and Kristina - and have six grandchildren. Upon graduation from West Point with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Jerry spent six years in the Army, including one year in Vietnam and two years in Germany, before bringing his family to Richardson, Texas, in 1971.

Madden worked 11 years for Texas Instruments, 8 years for Teledyne Geotech, and in 2000 formed Jerry Madden Insurance to offer group health plan coverage options to small businesses out of his independent agency's Plano offices. In July of 2008, he sold his company and retired from the insurance business. He obtained a Master of Science in Management and Administration Sciences from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1979.

As a 38 year resident of Collin County, Jerry has been involved in numerous veterans' and community organizations, holding positions such as President of the Collin County School Board, and Chairman of the Collin County Hospital Board as well as serving on the Advisory Board of the Plano Chamber of Commerce. He was instrumental in launching the Collin County Caring for Children program, a joint venture between Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas and the private sector. Dedicated to the Republican philosophy, Jerry was elected Precinct Chairman in his local neighborhood in 1974, and Chairman of the Republican Party of Collin County in 1984.

First elected to the Texas Legislature in November of 1992 and now in his ninth term, Madden is Vice Chair of the House Committee on Corrections, which he chaired from 2005-2009, and is a member of the Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee. Prior committee appointments have included Calendars, Public Education, House Select Committee on Public School Finance, State Affairs, Urban Affairs, Public Safety, Elections, State, Federal and International Relations, and Rules and Resolutions.

Different legislative initiatives for which he has been commended range from the highly successful 2007 criminal justice system reforms which sought to divert individuals from prison through mental health and drug treatment programs, provide more opportunities in prison for rehabilitation, and properly utilize probation and parole mechanisms to avoid greater costs if new prisons were built; from establishing a state virtual education system to supporting participation of military voters in elections; from advocating for victim's rights to instituting judicial campaign fairness. He has been honored for his work in a variety of policy areas by organizations including the American Legion-Dept. of Texas, Texas Common Cause, Texas Association of Business, Texas Library Association, Texas Classroom Teachers Association, Texas Home School Coalition, American Family Association of Texas, Texas Public Policy Foundation and Texas Criminal Justice Coalition.

In wake of the 2007 Legislative Session, Rep. Madden was designated by Texas Monthly as one of its 10 Best Legislators. While this honor is certainly notable, Rep. Madden is especially proud to have been the first recipient in 2007 of the Carmen Miller Michael Mental Health Advocate Prism Award, being presented in March of 2009 with a University of Texas at Dallas Distinguished Alumnus Award, being named as a member of the Board of Directors of the Council of State Government’s Justice Center in April of 2009, and in July of 2009, being nominated to serve as Chairman of the Law and Criminal Justice Committee formed by the National Council of State Legislatures.

Jerry Madden continues to exhibit the commitment and drive which he first brought to the Legislature. Always accessible to his constituents and sensitive to the changing needs of Texas and District 67, Representative Madden seeks to promote limited government, fiscal responsibility, safe and thriving communities and successful families and businesses.

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