1-1 1 1-2 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 631 1-3 WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas takes pride in 1-4 recognizing former Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes on the occasion 1-5 of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the swearing in 1-6 of the first lieutenant governor of Texas; and 1-7 WHEREAS, On May 2, 1846, the first lieutenant governor 1-8 of Texas, Albert Horton, took the oath of office at the original 1-9 State Capitol at the corner of Colorado Street and West 8th Street; 1-10 a ceremony honoring that event takes place May 2, 1997, and during 1-11 the ceremony, tribute will be paid to the three living former 1-12 lieutenant governors, Preston Smith, Ben Barnes, and William Hobby; 1-13 and 1-14 WHEREAS, Ben Barnes became Texas' youngest lieutenant 1-15 governor when he was elected to that position in 1968 at the age 1-16 of 31; he captured the Democratic Party nomination with 78 percent 1-17 of the ballots cast and received an impressive 72 percent of the 1-18 returns in the general election; and 1-19 WHEREAS, Born April 17, 1938, in Gorman, Texas, Ben Barnes 1-20 graduated from The University of Texas in 1960 and was soon 1-21 thereafter elected to the Texas House of Representatives, where 1-22 he served for the 57th through 60th legislatures and was speaker 1-23 of the house; and 2-1 WHEREAS, After a successful campaign for the office of 2-2 lieutenant governor, Mr. Barnes served in that position during 2-3 the 61st Legislature and was easily reelected to a second term 2-4 for the 62nd Legislature; while in office, he supported 2-5 antipollution, health, and education programs, an increase in 2-6 minimum wage, and the creation of the Texas Mass Transportation 2-7 Commission and the Commission for Rehabilitation; and 2-8 WHEREAS, During Ben Barnes' tenure as lieutenant governor, 2-9 his interest in higher education led to appropriations in that 2-10 area that placed Texas near the top nationally, and many new 2-11 colleges, universities, and graduate schools were established 2-12 in our state; and 2-13 WHEREAS, A man of tremendous leadership ability, Ben Barnes 2-14 was named one of Five Outstanding Young Texans by the Texas Junior 2-15 Chamber of Commerce in 1965 and one of the Ten Outstanding Young 2-16 Men in America by the United States Chamber of Commerce in 1970; 2-17 and 2-18 WHEREAS, Ben Barnes has distinguished himself 2-19 nationally by serving in a number of capacities; he served 2-20 on President Lyndon Johnson's Commission on Intergovernmental 2-21 Relations and served as the United States representative to the 2-22 NATO Civil Defense Committee Conference in Brussels; he was a 2-23 special representative to the United Nations in Geneva in 1968; and 2-24 WHEREAS, A highly talented individual with wide-ranging 2-25 expertise, Ben Barnes has served on numerous public service 3-1 boards and commissions, including the Texas Independent College 3-2 Fund; and 3-3 WHEREAS, Innovative and hard working, Ben Barnes has 3-4 served his state with dedication and skill, and the commemoration 3-5 of the swearing in of the first lieutenant governor is a fitting 3-6 opportunity to express appreciation to him for his many 3-7 accomplishments while serving as the presiding officer of the 3-8 Texas Senate; now, therefore, be it 3-9 RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 3-10 75th Legislature, hereby commend former Lieutenant Governor 3-11 Ben Barnes on his exceptional achievements and his many 3-12 contributions to our state and extend to him best wishes for 3-13 the future; and, be it further 3-14 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for 3-15 Ben Barnes as an expression of esteem from the Texas Senate. 3-16 Truan 3-17 Armbrister Galloway Ogden 3-18 Barrientos Harris Patterson 3-19 Bivins Haywood Ratliff 3-20 Brown Lindsay Shapiro 3-21 Cain Lucio Shapleigh 3-22 Carona Luna Sibley 3-23 Duncan Madla Wentworth 3-24 Ellis Moncrief West 3-25 Fraser Nelson Whitmire 3-26 Gallegos Nixon Zaffirini 3-27 Bullock, President of the Senate 3-28 ______________________________________ 3-29 President of the Senate 3-30 I hereby certify that the above 3-31 Resolution was adopted by the Senate 3-32 on May 1, 1997. 3-33 ______________________________________ 3-34 Secretary of the Senate 3-35 ______________________________________ 4-1 Dean of the Senate