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