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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a legendary public official |
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on December 4, 2012, when the Honorable Jack Bascom Brooks, one of |
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the longest-serving Texans in the U.S. House of Representatives, |
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passed away at the age of 89; and |
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WHEREAS, Elected to office 21 consecutive times, Jack Brooks |
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was a staunch advocate for the civil rights and labor movements and |
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an outspoken proponent of fiscal responsibility; he played a |
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pivotal role in the investigations of the Watergate and Iran-Contra |
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scandals, and his close ties to Lyndon B. Johnson placed him at the |
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president's side when he was sworn in, a moment that is preserved in |
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one of the most iconic photographs in American history; and |
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WHEREAS, Jack Brooks was born on December 18, 1922, in |
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Crowley, Louisiana, and raised in Beaumont; his father died when he |
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was only 13, and Jack worked to support the family as a carhop, |
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grocery clerk, and newspaper reporter; he attended Lamar Junior |
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College on a scholarship and later transferred to The University of |
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Texas, where he earned a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1943; |
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during World War II, he served his country as a member of the Marine |
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Corps; and |
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WHEREAS, Mr. Brooks began his career in politics in 1946, |
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when he was elected to the Texas Legislature; he represented the |
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citizens of Jefferson County for four years, during which time he |
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earned a degree from The University of Texas School of Law; in 1952, |
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he successfully ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The youngest freshman in his congressional class, |
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Mr. Brooks became a protege of House Speaker Sam Rayburn and then |
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Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson, two eminent statesmen in |
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the powerful Texas caucus; a stalwart Democrat, he abided by his own |
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code of ethics, and he often broke ranks with his fellow Southerners |
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to support civil rights legislation; along the way, he developed a |
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reputation for being bold, irascible, and impervious to criticism, |
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the latter perhaps best expressed by his nickname, "Sweet Old |
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Brooks," which he acquired by co-opting a rival's insult; and |
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WHEREAS, On November 22, 1963, Congressman Brooks rode in the |
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motorcade that accompanied President Kennedy through downtown |
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Dallas, and in the tumultuous hours that followed the |
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assassination, he accompanied Vice President Johnson as he took the |
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oath of office aboard Air Force One; he remained a close friend and |
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supporter of the new president throughout his tenure; and |
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WHEREAS, Congressman Brooks led a number of committees and |
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subcommittees during his time in office, including the House |
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Committee on the Judiciary for six years and the House Committee on |
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Government Operations for more than a decade; he amassed an |
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extensive record of legislative accomplishments, which included |
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helping to author the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights |
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Act of 1965; ever loyal to the residents of his home district, he |
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worked diligently to secure funds for a number of local programs and |
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public works initiatives; and |
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WHEREAS, Congressman Brooks was seldom afraid to challenge |
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those in power; as a member of the judiciary committee during the |
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Watergate scandal, he helped draft the articles of impeachment that |
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prompted President Nixon to resign, and he was later involved in the |
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investigation of the Iran-Contra affair; he also worked to root out |
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wasteful government spending through the Inspector General Act and |
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the legislation that became known as the Brooks Act; and |
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WHEREAS, When this esteemed Texan concluded his tenure in |
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1994, he had served more than four decades in the Texas and U.S. |
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Houses; he continued to appear at local political events in his |
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retirement and watched with pride as Democrats that he had |
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mentored, including Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, rose to national |
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prominence; over the years, he saw his legacy memorialized with |
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several Southeast Texas landmarks that bear his name: a regional |
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airport, a federal courthouse in Beaumont, and a park in Galveston |
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County, as well as a statue in his likeness at Lamar University, |
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complete with his trademark cigar in hand; and |
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WHEREAS, In all his endeavors, Mr. Brooks enjoyed the love |
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and support of his wife, the former Charlotte Collins, with whom he |
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shared a rewarding union of more than 50 years; he took great pride |
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in his children, Jeb, Kate, and Kim, and cherished spending time |
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with his family; and |
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WHEREAS, Unfaltering in his principles and unyielding in his |
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dedication to his constituency, Jack Brooks made innumerable |
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contributions to the state and the country he loved, and the legacy |
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that he leaves behind will continue to inspire all those who assume |
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the mantle of public service; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable Jack |
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Bascom Brooks and extend sincere sympathy to the members of his |
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family: to his wife, Charlotte Brooks; to his children, Jeb Brooks |
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and his wife, Janice, Kate Brooks Carroll and her husband, Rod, and |
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Kim Brooks; to his grandchildren, Matthew Carroll and Brooke |
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Carroll; and to his other relatives and many friends; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
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Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Jack |
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Brooks. |