Dan Moody

Daniel James "Dan" Moody Jr. (born June 1, 1893 in Taylor , Williamson County , Texas , † May 22, 1966 in Austin , Texas) was an American politician and from 1927 to 1931 governor of the state of Texas.

Early years and political advancement

Dan Moody attended Taylor High School between 1910 and 1914 at the University of Texas , where he studied law, among other things. After his admission to the bar in 1914, he began working with a partner in Taylor in his new profession. This activity was interrupted by the First World War, in which he participated as a soldier in the US Army . After the war he worked as a lawyer again. Since 1920 he was also employed in the public service.

From 1920 to 1922 he was a district attorney in Williamson County and from 1922 to 1925 he was a district attorney in the 26th legal district of Texas. In this capacity, he successfully sued some members of the Ku Klux Klan for violent attacks. This was the first time that a broad public became aware of him. Against the opposition of the clan, Moody was appointed as the new Attorney General of Texas by Governor Miriam A. Ferguson in 1925 . He held this office until 1927. He also led the investigation into members of the Highway Commission who were charged with taking bribes and had to quit their offices. In 1926 he was elected governor of his state as a candidate from his Democratic Party . He had prevailed against Ferguson in the primaries.

Texas Governor

Dan Moody took up his new post on January 18, 1927. He was the youngest governor of Texas to date when he took office. The prison system was reformed during his tenure. The generous pardon policy operated by the Fergusons was terminated and the Highway Commission was restructured after the scandals under Governor Ferguson. It was also when the Texas State Audit Office was established. The second part of his tenure was overshadowed by the global economic crisis, which also left its mark on Texas.

Another résumé

After his governor ended on January 20, 1931, he became a lawyer in Austin. In 1935 he was appointed to the federal attorney's office by President Franklin D. Roosevelt , where he was supposed to bring several cases of tax evasion in Louisiana to court. In 1942, he unsuccessfully applied for a new nomination for his party for the office of governor. Over time, Moody became an opponent of the President's New Deal policies, and he also opposed Roosevelt's fourth presidential candidacy in 1944. Although he remained a member of his party, he supported Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956 and Richard Nixon , the Republican presidential candidates, respectively . Moody was also a member of a number of legal associations. He died in Austin in 1966 and was buried there. He had two children with his wife, Mildred Paxton.

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personal data
SURNAME	Moody, Dan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Moody, Daniel James junior (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	June 1, 1893
PLACE OF BIRTH	Taylor , Texas
DATE OF DEATH	May 22, 1966
Place of death	Austin , Texas