The first constitution of the province established the institution of governorship in 1845, originally stipulating that it would serve a maximum of four years for every six-year term, and that the terms of service would be two years each. (That is, he predicted that the governor would not be elected more than two times.
This right to the lieutenant governor was granted to the Constitution by an amendment made in 1999. Prior to 1999, the lieutenant governor had only the right to represent the Office of Governor. The only exception to this was the 1861 Constitution, which states that the lieutenant governor, if the Office of Governor is vacated, “represents the governor of Texas”
On July 14, 1984, at the age of 26, Abbott was paralyzed below the waist when an oak tree fell on him while he was jogging after a storm. He had two steel rods implanted in his spine, underwent extensive rehabilitation at the Hospital in Houston and has been using a wheelchair ever since.