CHARTING THE PROFESSIONAL CAREER OF V. LANCE TARRANCE JR.

 

(BUSINESS EXECUTIVE, ELECTION BEHAVIOR SCHOLAR, AUTHOR, UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR)

 

 

• Age 23 – Moves to Austin Texas as Director of Research, Texas Goldwater for President Committee (1964)  

• Age 24 – Appointed first fulltime Director of Research for the Texas Republican Party, Austin, Texas

• Age 25 – Worked in the successful 1966 reelection campaign for Senator John Tower

• Age 26 – Published his first of three compendia books on Texas Precinct Elections (with maps) by the SMU Press and the University of Texas Press ( 1966,1968,1970 )

• Age 26 – Moves to Washington D.C. as Assistant Director of Research for the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C.; involved specifically in the 1968 Presidential Campaign of Richard Nixon

• Age 27 – Appointed by the Chairman of the Republican National Committee as an Officer of the 1968 Republican Convention (Chief Page in Miami Beach, Florida); admitted to The Sons of the Revolution (SAR), Alexandria, Va. chapter

• Age 29 – Appointed by the Nixon White House to become the Special Assistant to the Director of the U.S. Census with responsibilities of the 1970 Census, Congressional relations, and White House liaison

• Age 31 – Co-authors a book with Dr. Walter DeVries entitled “The Ticket Splitter:  A New Force in American Politics”. (1972) Reviewed favorably by The New York Times and the Wall St. Journal, among others.  Attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, summer session, Survey Research Center

• Age 32 – Awarded a M.A. Degree from American University in Washington, D.C. in Election & Political Behavior with Distinction by the faculty (1973)

• Age 32 – Moves to Cambridge Massachusetts after awarded a Kennedy School of Government fellowship at Harvard University for the full academic year (1973-1974). Lectured on the “ Politics of the  U.S. Statistical System “, as well as the Demographics of Voter Participation (Institute of Politics, Kennedy School of Government)

• Age 33 – Moves to Southern California to accept a position of Vice President at Decision Making Information Corporation in Santa Ana, California, whose major client was Governor Ronald Reagan, among others.   Appointed National Project Director for the 1976 polling for the Reagan for President effort

• Age 36 – Moves to Texas to establish a new company, V. Lance Tarrance and Associates in Houston, Texas with the investment assistance of James O. Reese of Texas.  Conducted polling, data collection, data analysis and strategy, mainly among the South and Sunbelt states in Presidential, U.S. Senate and U.S. House campaigns (1977-1992)

• Age 46 – Sells majority stock ownership in 1987 of The Tarrance Company to Selection Research Inc (SRI), wth an immediate merger into the Gallup Organization in Princeton, New Jersey (Appointed to the Board of Directors of Gallup, 1988-1992)

• Age 52 – After leaving Tarrance & Associates, appointed Managing Director of Gallup China, Beijing China.  Traveling to China nine times, oversaw the joint venture for over three years.

• Age 54 – Appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor at Texas A&M University for the full academic year, lecturing on “Contemporary Presidential Elections and Party Realignment” 

• Age 55 – Appointed a Washington & Lee University Visiting Scholar lecturing on “Presidential Campaign Dynamics (1996) “

• Age 57 – Published second book on national elections with co-author Dr. Walter DeVries, “Checked and Balanced”, a book on divided government and the new balance of power in U.S. politics (1997)

• Age 63 – Moves to Washington, D.C. as a strategy consultant for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to work in the 2004 Presidential cycle 

• Age 65 – Appointed Senior Advisor to U.S. Senator John McCain in Washington D.C. in 2006-2007 (campaign issue analysis)

• 2012 – Selected Who’s Who in the World, moves to Santa Fe N.M. and sets up a new consulting firm, TarranceConsulting.com ;  consults in the 2018 Governor’s election in  New Mexico 

• 2013 – Inducted into the Hall of Fame of the American Association of Political Consultants in a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

• 2013 – co-authored and published a sixth book (6) with Stephan Hegelsen, “How Republicans Can Win in a Changing America: The Art of War with Lesson Plans” (Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com)

• 2015 - co-authored and published a seventh book ( 7 ) with Stephan Hegelsen, “Breaking Republican:  The Book for Every Republican Who Wants to Win in 2016” (Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com)

• 2020 – Moves to Austin, Texas (Horseshoe Bay); Consultant to Texas Latino Conservative PAC

 

 

 

EARLY EDUCATION

 

• Age 12 – VLT travels throughout the Western states to the Boy Scout National Jamboree in Southern California (1953)

• Age 15 – Selected by Circle 10 Boy Scout Council to represent North Texas at the World Jamboree in Canada; traveling by way of New York City; wrote published newspaper articles for the Dallas Morning News about his observations (1955)

• Age 16 – Named outstanding student in the 9th grade of Highland Park High School in Dallas, Texas (Red Raider Award)

• Age 16 – Achieved the highest honor in Boy Scouts as an Eagle Scout (only 7% achieve in the U.S.); Order of the Arrow.

• Age 18 – Elected President of his senior class at Dallas’ Highland Park High School; awarded an early college acceptance by Washington & Lee University in Lexington Virginia

• Age 21 – graduated from W&L with a B.A. degree in Modern European History, minor in Political Science; officer of Kappa Sigma , elected President of the International Relations Club at W&L in his senior year (1962)