WANTED: Political History of Texas Since the New Deal
Hendrickson’s chapter also mentions individuals who were instrumental in the shaping and administration of the policies in Texas beginning with the New Deal period. He states that many of the important figures of the time have not been subjects of comprehensive, critical and analytical research and writing. While there is no shortage of literature on the life of Lyndon Baines Johnson, many other important political personalities have been overlooked. (2)
The historiography Hendrickson created attempts to itemize the aspects of Texas political history that still need to be cleared up in order to understand Texas within the context of the rest of the country and what was happening at the time. He notes that previous writing in this field has been done by journalists and other such writers, not by historians; therefore, the work may be tainted with bias, opinion and emotion rather than critical analysis of the life, times and circumstances of the subject matter.
As of now, little has changed with regard to the availability of work on Texas politics since the New Deal. While newspaper and magazine articles related to political issues and figures in Texas are plentiful, there is still much to be desired in the way of true historical research and literature by scholars who are willing to delve into the relatively recent past and contemporary issues in order to uncover some of the mysteries and myths surrounding Texas and her political history. It seems that no one wants to go back to the “primitive” or “post-primitive” eras in Texas to fill in the gaps. (3)
The split of the Democratic Party received some attention in an article by Nancy Beck Young in 1999, when she published a somewhat comprehensive chronological summarization of issues related to the party since “white Americans first settled the region”.
Young divides the history of the Democratic Party of Texas into two major periods: 1) independence through the presidential election of 1952 and 2) after 1952.4 For the most part, we are interested in what she would have to say about the time-frame that spans the two major periods she described. By the late 1930s, Young states that the conservative members of the Democratic Party had begun to take control of the party politics and the liberals attempted to force them out. Several splits ensued and new factions were blooming. Jeffersonian Democrats, Garner Democrats and New Deal Democrats would vie for control of the party in support of their candidate.
Young covers the election disputes and the effects World War II had on the factions. Pro-Roosevelt and anti-Roosevelt groups were at it and eventually the decline of the New Deal policies began to occur (which also needs some more in-depth research) as Texas governors, all Democrats, appointed conservative businessmen to state boards and laws were passed reflecting the true flavor of the times – conservatism.(5)
George N. Green wrote about those Democrats who opposed the re-election of Roosevelt and established themselves as Texas Regulars, boasting a membership of “oil and corporate kingpins”, who opposed the labor unions and wished to restore the days of white supremacy.(6)This assessment of the Texas Regulars has not been challenged thus far.
When dealing with political figures since the late 1920s, we are still at a loss for quality informative work. Nancy Young mentions James Allred, who was elected governor of Texas in 1934 and was respected by liberal Democrats for his support of assistance for the elderly, teacher retirement programs and public school funding.(7)Still no comprehensive published work has materialized about the life and career of Allred.
W. Lee “Pappy” O’Daniel is a less favorable character in the eyes of historians like George N. Green, who criticized Pappy for favoring interest groups and betraying the “common man”.(8) Nancy Beck Young notes that O’Daniel’s election in 1938 trumpeted the return of conservative rule, despite his appeal to those bearing the brunt of the depression, who would typically tend to support a New Dealer’s approach. (9)
Pamela Colloff wrote an article for Texas Monthly titled “Fluke of the Century” about W. Lee O’Daniel. While this was not a scholarly article per se, it offers a light-hearted perspective of the man and his general uselessness as governor.(10)O’Daniel makes for an intriguing and entertaining subject of research.
Hendrickson acknowledges several books on John Nance Garner, but notes that none are very good and that there still is no ultimate biography on “Cactus Jack”.(11) Norman Brown published an article in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly called “Garnering Votes for ‘Cactus Jack’: John Nance Garner, Franklin Roosevelt and the 1932 Democratic Nomination for President”. Here, Brown focuses on the 1932 presidential candidacy of Roosevelt and Garner. He offers information on the Democratic Party’s support for Garner despite his reluctance to run and the eventual victory of the ticket. Garner’s personality is reflected in Brown’s article along with his Jeffersonian Democrat perspective. According to Brown, Garner was “popular and a Texas man”, which most likely helped the campaign.(12)
Ben Proctor mentions Garner in his chapter, “Texas from Depression through World War II”. He notes that Texans were beginning to see President Hoover as a “villain” and were faced with the decision to support Franklin D. Roosevelt for President and “Cactus Jack” Garner for Vice President in 1932. Texans, according to Proctor, were compelled to vote for the Roosevelt/Garner ticket since a “New Deal for the forgotten man” could not survive without the push of the Texas Democrats. Proctor also comments that John Nance Garner went on to be considered by some as “the most powerful Vice-President in history”.(13)
Governor Allan Shivers was mentioned in Desegregating Texas Schools: Eisenhower, Shivers and the Crisis at Mansfield High by Robin Duff Ladino, along with his segregationist views.(14) There still is no biography of Shivers.
Price Daniel is the focus of interest in Texas Giant: The Life of Price Daniel by Dan Murph. The book, published in 2002, is a comprehensive biography written by Daniel’s own grandson. Therefore, it tends to be sympathetic to Daniel and sheds admirable light on his leadership as Speaker of the House, attorney general, senator and Supreme Court Justice. The book, however, falls short of critically analyzing Price Daniel’s role in Texas during the troubled times and political era surrounding his service. (15)
Another figure who, as of 1991, was still a potential target of further research is Martin Dies. While no one literary work dedicated to the young Mr. Dies (not his father) can be found, he is mentioned in “The First Congressman Martin Dies of Texas”, an article by Dennis K. McDaniel. McDaniel, while writing on the elder Martin Dies, notes that Martin Dies, Jr. is known for his service on the House Special Committee on Un-American Activities. The author states that young Mr. Dies, like his father, possessed McCarthy-like ideas, which were quite harmful to the United States when they were acted upon in the political realm. (16)
As mentioned before, Lyndon Baines Johnson is very popular with biographers and historians and the publications covering him keep coming. In 2002 Robert A. Caro published The Years of Lyndon Johnson – Master of the Senate. Here, in the third installment of Caro’s biography of Johnson, Caro discusses Johnson’s Senate leadership and his contributions to the Civil Rights movement in America.(17)
As for the other prominent characters in Texas political history, there is still a void where good literature should be. In “Texas from Depression through World War II”, Ben Proctor mentions Jesse H. Jones alongside brief details about the financial dealings with which he was instrumental. (18)
Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr. comes to us again in 2003 with “Modern Texas: The Political Scene since 1945”, which can be found in The Texas Heritage, 4th edition. Here, Hendrickson recounts the events surrounding Texas politics and the numerous characters involved during the tumultuous times from the 1940s through George W. Bush’s election to the White House. It would seem as though the same man who told us in 1991 that there was not enough information on figures like Tom Connally, Jesse H. Jones and Price Daniel went back and tried to do some of the work himself.
Hendrickson also briefly discusses the “Sharpstown Affair” and other significant events during the time.19 Hendrickson’s chapter in The Texas Heritage also provides a little background to the Tidelands Oil Controversy and the effects of Joseph McCarthy’s ideas and the Red Scare. J. R. Parten, who was the chairman of the University of Texas Board of Regents, demanded proof that communists were infiltrating the faculty of UT before he would act upon such accusations made by Martin Dies. This section also describes Dies and his work with HUAC. (20)
J. R. Parten’s life is chronicled in A Breed So Rare: The Life of J. R. Parten, Liberal Texas Oil Man, 1896-1992 by Don E. Carleton. Published in 1998, the author used interviews and Parten’s personal papers to tell the story of how a boy from East Texas whose career, lifelong dedication to the Democratic Party and liberal ideals coupled with his willingness to learn and change made a difference in the world. (21)
Though Hendrickson and other writers have been adding some literature to what existed in 1991 on the political history of Texas, there is still a great need in the field. Perhaps in the next decade, a new crop of critical historical research will come up.
NOTES
1.Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr., “Texas Politics since the New Deal,” in Texas Through Time, ed. Walter L. Buenger and Robert A. Calvert (College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1991, pp. 251-278.
2.Ibid.
3.Ibid.
4.Nancy Beck Young, “Democratic Party.” (The Handbook of Texas Online). http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/DD/wad1.html
5.Ibid.
6.George N. Green, “Texas Regulars.” (The Handbook of Texas Online), http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/TT/wet2.html
7.Nancy Beck Young, “Democratic Party.” (The Handbook of Texas Online). http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/DD/wad1.html
8.Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr., “Texas Politics since the New Deal,” in Texas Through Time, ed. Walter L. Buenger and Robert A. Calvert (College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1991, pp. 251-278.
9.Nancy Beck Young, “Democratic Party.” (The Handbook of Texas Online). http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/DD/wad1.html
10.Pamela Colloff, “Fluke of the Century,” Texas Monthly (December 1999): pp. 136-138.
11.Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr., “Texas Politics since the New Deal,” in Texas Through Time, ed. Walter L. Buenger and Robert A. Calvert (College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1991, pp. 251-278.
12.Norman D. Brown, “Garnering Votes for “Cactus Jack”: John Nance Garner, Franklin D. Roosevelt and the 1932 Democratic Nomination for President,” Southwestern Historical Quarterly (October, 2002): pp. 150-191.
13.Ben Proctor, “Texas from Depression through World War II,” in The Texas Heritage, ed. Ben Proctor and Archie p. McDonald (Wheeling, Illinois: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 2003), pp. 162-182.
14.Robyn Duff Ladino, Desegregating Texas Schools: Eisenhower, Shivers and the Crisis at Mansfield High (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996).
15.Dan Morph, Texas Giant: The Life of Price Daniel. (Austin: Eakin Press, 2002).
16.Dennis K. McDaniel, “The First Congressman Martin Dies of Texas,” Southwestern Historical Quarterly (October, 1998), p. 132.
17.Robert A. Caro, The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Master of the Senate. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002).
18.Ben Proctor, “Texas from Depression through World War II,” in The Texas Heritage, ed. Ben Proctor and Archie p. McDonald (Wheeling, Illinois: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 2003), pp. 162-182.
19.Kenneth E. Hendrickson, Jr., “Modern Texas: The Political Scene Since 1945,” in The Texas Heritage, 4th edition, ed. Ben Proctor and Archie P. McDonald (Wheeling: Harlan Davidson, Inc., 2003).
20.Ibid.
21.Don E. Carleton, A Breed so Rare: The Life of J. R. Parten, Liberal Texas Oil Man. (College Station: Texas A & M University Press, 1998).
