Beauford H. Jester

Beauford Halbert Jester (born January 12, 1893 in Corsicana , Texas , † July 11, 1949 in Houston , Texas) was an American politician and from 1947 to 1949 governor of the state of Texas.

Early years

Beauford Jester was the son of George Taylor Jester , who had been Lieutenant Governor of Texas between 1894 and 1898 . The younger Jester attended public schools in Corsicana and then studied at the University of Texas through 1916 . He then began law school at Harvard University Law School . This study was interrupted by the First World War, in which Jester participated as a captain of an infantry unit. After the war, he finished his law degree in 1920, which he had continued at the University of Texas. After being admitted to the bar, he began practicing his new profession in Corsicana. Many of his cases had to do with the oil industry. In addition to his work as a lawyer, he ran a ranch where cattle and cotton were grown. He also headed the Navarro County Bar from 1925 to 1938 and that of the State of Texas from 1940 to 1941. From 1929 to 1935 he was a member of the board of the University of Texas and from 1933 its chairman. Under his leadership, this university was expanded further.

Political career

Jester was a member of the Democratic Party . Between 1942 and 1947 he was a member of his state's railway committee. In 1946, Beauford Jester ran in his party for the nomination as the top candidate for the upcoming gubernatorial election. After his victory in the primary elections and then in the actual election, he was able to take up the post of governor of Texas on January 21, 1947. In 1948 he was elected to a second term. During his tenure, a judicial reform was carried out, which mainly improved the prison system. At the same time, the education and health systems were significantly improved. However, during Jester's tenure, the state budget of Texas exceeded the billion mark for the first time. Jester also introduced some labor laws, some of which were directed against the unions. On the other hand, he advocated the abolition of the so-called "Poll Tax Laws", which linked the right to vote to certain property relationships.

Governor Jester died unexpectedly of a heart attack in July 1949 while on a train trip to Galveston , near Houston. This made him the first Texas governor to die during his tenure. He had three children with his wife Mabel Buchanan.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 4, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Beauford H. Jester in the National Governors Association (English)
• Beauford H. Jester in the Handbook of Texas (English)
• Beauford H. Jester in The Political Graveyard (English)
• Beauford H. Jester in the database of Find a Grave (English)