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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Citizens from across the Lone Star State are |
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mourning the loss of former Supreme Court of Texas Chief Justice |
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Jack Pope Jr., who passed away on February 25, 2017, at the age of |
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103; and |
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WHEREAS, Andrew Jackson "Jack" Pope Jr. was born in Abilene |
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on April 18, 1913, to Dr. Andrew Jackson Pope Sr., a pioneer |
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physician, and Ruth Adelia Taylor; after graduating from Abilene |
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High School in 1930, he attended Abilene Christian University, |
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where he served as president of the student association, earned |
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letters in debate and tennis, and graduated with a bachelor of arts |
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degree in 1934; he continued his education at The University of |
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Texas at Austin, serving as student editor of the Texas Law Review |
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and receiving a bachelor of laws degree in 1937; and |
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WHEREAS, In June of that year, Mr. Pope was licensed to |
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practice law in Texas, and he moved to Corpus Christi to join the |
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firm of his uncle, former state representative Walter E. Pope; he |
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soon established himself as a capable attorney whose practice dealt |
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with criminal and civil matters, including creditors' rights, oil |
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and gas issues, real estate transactions, and personal injury and |
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family law; at the encouragement of his uncle, he also took |
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appellate cases, which he briefed and argued before the Court of |
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Civil Appeals in San Antonio and the Supreme Court of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, On June 11, 1938, Jack Pope married Allene Nichols, |
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a fellow UT graduate; in the course of a loving partnership that |
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lasted 66 years, they became the proud parents of two sons, |
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A. J. and Allen; and |
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WHEREAS, Following the outbreak of World War II, this |
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patriotic Texan enlisted in the U.S. Navy, even though as a father, |
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he was exempt from the draft; he served his country as a |
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cryptologist in Washington, D.C., and as part of the legal team at |
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the Naval Air Training Station in Corpus Christi; and |
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WHEREAS, Honorably discharged in 1946, Jack Pope established |
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a private law practice with O. E. Cannon and Sam Pittman; soon |
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after, he was appointed to fill the unexpired term of 94th District |
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Court Judge Allen Wood; the youngest district judge in Texas at the |
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time, he began speaking at legal institutes and bar association |
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meetings and expressing his thoughts on the jury system, the best |
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administration of court trials, and the proper methods to present |
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and exclude evidence; and |
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WHEREAS, Judge Pope went on to serve on the Fourth Court of |
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Civil Appeals in San Antonio from 1950 to 1964; while a member of |
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that bench, he helped reshape Texas water law by analyzing the |
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question of riparian rights of irrigation in Spanish and Mexican |
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land grants; his seminal opinion in the matter was subsequently |
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adopted by the Supreme Court of Texas; years later, author James A. |
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Michener sought Mr. Pope's expertise on the historical role of |
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water when researching his acclaimed 1985 novel, Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1964, Jack Pope was elected to the Supreme Court |
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of Texas, and as an associate justice, he led efforts to enact |
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judicial and procedural reforms and helped draft significant |
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rulings on property rights; he was appointed by Governor William |
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P. Clements as the 23rd chief justice in 1982 and elected to that |
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position two years later; and |
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WHEREAS, Known for the clarity of his thought and writing, |
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Chief Justice Pope served as a Texas judge for 38 years, the longest |
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judicial tenure in the state's history; he wrote more than 1,000 |
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opinions and over 70 law-related articles, a staggering amount that |
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represents the largest contribution by a single individual to the |
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jurisprudence of the Lone Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, This remarkable public servant, who began his career |
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before the advent of formal judicial training, was an advocate for |
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the professional education of Texas judges; his efforts culminated |
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in the establishment of compulsory judicial education and the |
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adoption of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct by the Supreme Court |
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of Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, Committed to ensuring justice for all Texans, Jack |
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Pope was instrumental in establishing the first permanent funding |
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source for legal aid in this state; rather than relying on tax |
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revenue, his plan uses interest paid out on attorneys' client-trust |
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accounts, and the money generated by this program currently funds |
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legal services for more than 100,000 families in such matters as |
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wrongful foreclosure, domestic violence, and cases where veterans |
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have not received their earned benefits; in 2013, in tribute to his |
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trailblazing efforts in behalf of legal aid, the Texas Legislature |
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passed the Chief Justice Jack Pope Act, which increased from $10 |
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million to $50 million the amount that the Office of the Attorney |
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General can transfer to the Supreme Court of Texas to support the |
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provision of basic legal services for those who cannot otherwise |
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afford them; and |
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WHEREAS, In retirement, Chief Justice Pope donated most of |
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his papers to Abilene Christian University and The University of |
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Texas School of Law; in addition, he made a special contribution, a |
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portion of his personal law library, to the University of North |
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Texas at Dallas College of Law; this generous gift included a |
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complete set of signed South Western Reporters, bound compilations |
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of reported judicial decisions in the southwestern United States; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Justice Pope also played a crucial role in |
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establishing the State Law Library as a separate agency in 1971 and |
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served as a member emeritus of the Friends of the State Law Library |
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Board of Directors; the library later recognized him and another |
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former chief justice, the late Joe Greenhill, with the creation of |
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the Greenhill-Pope Law Book Fund; he further contributed to his |
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profession as a charter member of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics |
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and as a cofounder of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, |
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which published a collection of his writings under the title Common |
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Law Judge; and |
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WHEREAS, Chief Justice Pope credited Abilene Christian |
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University with his many achievements, and in return for the |
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invaluable lessons he learned there, he became one of the school's |
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staunchest supporters, joining the board of trustees in 1954 and |
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serving on the senior board for many years; he also chaired the |
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board for the Christian Chronicle newspaper; in appreciation for |
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his immeasurable service to the university, Abilene Christian |
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conferred on him an Outstanding Alumnus of the Year award and a |
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Change the World Award, and since 1989, through the Jack Pope |
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Fellows Program, it has bestowed scholarships on outstanding |
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students intending to pursue a career in public service; and |
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WHEREAS, Among countless other accolades, Chief Justice Pope |
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received four honorary degrees, the inaugural Judicial Lifetime |
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Achievement Award from the State Bar of Texas, the inaugural Chief |
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Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award from the Texas Center for |
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Legal Ethics, and an Outstanding Alumnus Award from The University |
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of Texas School of Law; and |
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WHEREAS, In his final years, Chief Justice Pope remained |
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deeply grateful for his friends, neighbors, members of his church, |
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University Avenue Church of Christ, his longtime secretary, the |
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late Peggy Littlefield, and Lauren Barrett and the team of |
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caregivers whom he affectionately referred to as the "Little United |
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Nations" and about whom he wrote a book, describing them and their |
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ideas on caring for the elderly; and |
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WHEREAS, A true Texas statesman, Jack Pope was motivated not |
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by love of self but rather by an abiding concern for others, and |
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those he leaves behind will continue to find inspiration in his |
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accomplishments for many years to come; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Chief Justice Jack |
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Pope and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to |
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his sons, A. J. Pope III and his wife, Carla, and Allen Pope and his |
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wife, Karen; to his grandchildren, Drew Pope, Ryan Pope and his |
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wife, Erin, and Billie Pope Locke and her husband, Jeff; to his |
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great-grandchildren, Dylan and Peyton Locke and Carinn and Caitlin |
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Pope; 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 the |
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Honorable Jack Pope Jr. |