Thomas Wayne Collier Jr.

   Thomas W. Collier Jr. is originally from the Chicago area and comes from a family of six children.  He has been married for 45 years and has two adult children and four grandchildren.

 

     Mr. Collier graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Management from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1969.  He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and served in special operations and intelligence services overseas until his Honorable Discharge in 1974, with the rank of Captain.

 

     Mr. Collier then entered private industry and developed a successful oil production company in San Angelo, Texas.  In 1988, Mr. Collier moved his family to Florida to be close to his parents and three sisters.  He received his Juris Doctor degree three years later from the University of Florida School of Law.  He has lived in DeLand with his family since 1991.

 

     Mr. Collier's career choices reflect his personality.  He competed for a Congressional nomination to the Air Force Academy, prevailing over 1200 other applications from Illinois.  His years in the military were adventurous and often dangerous but demonstrated his pride in his country and in himself, his sense of responsibility and perseverance, and his absolute belief that winning and surviving both require knowledge, preparation and old fashioned hard work.  Building a successful oil company from the ground up required focus, dedication, and judicious risk taking.  As a lawyer, he has never wavered from his commitment to be a champion for the weak against the powerful.  He has never and will never represent insurance companies against injured claimants, or banks seizing the homes of those suffering financial misfortune.