H.C.R. No. 21
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, The State of Texas has lost a favorite son with the
1-2 passing of the Honorable John Bowden Connally, Jr., on June 15,
1-3 1993, at the age of 76; and
1-4 WHEREAS, Among the most popular governors ever to lead the
1-5 Lone Star State, this legendary Texan was one of only three Texas
1-6 governors to win election to a third term in office, having earned
1-7 the respect and admiration of the citizens of this state throughout
1-8 his distinguished tenure in the Governor's Mansion; and
1-9 WHEREAS, A native Texan, he was born in Floresville on
1-10 February 27, 1917, to John B. and Lela Wright Connally, and as a
1-11 young man attended The University of Texas at Austin, where he
1-12 pursued an interest in drama and politics in the late 1930s; and
1-13 WHEREAS, While a student at the university, Governor Connally
1-14 became involved in his first political campaign when he worked to
1-15 elect future Congressman Jake Pickle to the post of student body
1-16 president, a position that he would attain himself the following
1-17 year; a contemporary of such noted thespians as Zachary Scott and
1-18 Eli Wallach, Governor Connally also made the acquaintance of his
1-19 future bride, Miss Idanell Brill of Austin, through his involvement
1-20 in campus theater groups, and the couple were united in marriage in
1-21 1940; and
1-22 WHEREAS, At the age of 20, he assisted Lyndon Johnson in his
1-23 successful bid to replace United States Representative James Paul
1-24 Buchanan in a special election, beginning a friendship that would
2-1 one day propel Governor Connally into the forefront of national
2-2 politics; and
2-3 WHEREAS, Following Johnson's election to the United States
2-4 House of Representatives, Governor Connally postponed the
2-5 completion of his law degree to accept a position with the freshman
2-6 congressman and worked in Washington until 1941, when he returned
2-7 to Austin to complete his degree and practice law; and
2-8 WHEREAS, After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, this
2-9 patriotic Texan was commissioned an officer in the United States
2-10 Navy and proudly served his country at posts in Washington, North
2-11 Africa, and the Pacific, where his duties involved directing
2-12 fighter aircraft aboard the aircraft carriers the USS Essex and the
2-13 USS Bennington; and
2-14 WHEREAS, Returning to Austin after completing his military
2-15 duty, the future governor joined other veterans to form a new radio
2-16 station, KVET, and managed the station until 1949, when he again
2-17 served briefly as an aide to Senator Johnson; and
2-18 WHEREAS, In 1952, Governor Connally made a move that bespoke
2-19 a bright future, becoming the attorney for Fort Worth independent
2-20 oil operators Sid W. Richardson and Perry Bass; and
2-21 WHEREAS, In 1961, his naval wartime experience earned him the
2-22 recognition of President Kennedy, who selected him to serve as
2-23 secretary of the navy, a post from which he would resign in
2-24 December of 1961 to run as the Democratic Party's nominee for
2-25 governor; and
2-26 WHEREAS, John Connally was sworn in for the first of his
2-27 three terms as governor of Texas in January of 1963 at the age of
3-1 45; on November 22 of that year, he was seriously wounded by the
3-2 assassin's bullets that claimed the life of President Kennedy as
3-3 they rode together in the presidential limousine through downtown
3-4 Dallas; and
3-5 WHEREAS, Despite the tragedy, he was determined to make a
3-6 positive difference in the lives of his constituents and went on to
3-7 make the improvement of education and state services, the
3-8 development of water resources, and a strong focus on tourism the
3-9 highlights of his first term in office; and
3-10 WHEREAS, Governor Connally successfully concentrated on
3-11 securing more state funding for education during his second term,
3-12 and his final term as governor resulted in an increase in teacher
3-13 salaries and a revision of the state's criminal code; and
3-14 WHEREAS, After leaving public office in 1969 to become a
3-15 partner in the powerful Houston law firm of Vinson & Elkins,
3-16 Governor Connally returned to the national political scene in 1970,
3-17 when he was named secretary of the treasury by President Nixon; in
3-18 that capacity he played a major role in the development of a
3-19 dramatic series of economic proposals unveiled by the president in
3-20 1971; and
3-21 WHEREAS, The following year, he returned to his practice in
3-22 Houston, where he helped to organize Democrats for Nixon in the
3-23 presidential election, and in 1973 he became a member of the
3-24 Republican Party; and
3-25 WHEREAS, In the last years of his life, the former governor
3-26 had retired from Vinson & Elkins but remained active in the
3-27 community and in politics at the local and national levels; just
4-1 before the Persian Gulf War began in 1990, this distinguished
4-2 statesman drew on his considerable diplomatic skills to secure the
4-3 release of 21 hostages who were being held by Iraqi forces; and
4-4 WHEREAS, A man of great intelligence, integrity, and
4-5 commitment, John Connally dedicated much of his life to the
4-6 betterment of his state and nation; though his wisdom and special
4-7 presence will be deeply missed by all who were privileged to know
4-8 him, his spirit surely lives on in the many accomplishments he
4-9 leaves behind; now, therefore, be it
4-10 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas,
4-11 Regular Session, 1995, hereby pay tribute to the life of John
4-12 Bowden Connally, Jr., and extend deepest sympathy to the members of
4-13 his family: to his wife, Nellie Connally; to his daughter, Sharon
4-14 Ammann; to his sons, John B. Connally III and Mark Connally; to his
4-15 brothers, Golfrey Connally, Stanford Connally, Merrill Connally,
4-16 and Wayne Connally; to his sisters, Carmen Hicks and Blanche Kline;
4-17 to his eight grandchildren and great-grandchild; and to the many
4-18 other friends and relatives of this remarkable gentleman; and, be
4-19 it further
4-20 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
4-21 prepared for the members of his family and that when the Texas
4-22 House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in
4-23 memory of John Bowden Connally, Jr.