W. Lee O'Daniel

W. Lee O'Daniel

Wilbert Lee O'Daniel (born March 11, 1890 in Malta , Morgan County , Ohio , † May 11, 1969 in Dallas , Texas ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Texas from 1939 to 1941 . Between 1941 and 1949 he represented his state in the US Senate .

Early years

After his father's untimely death, O'Daniel moved to Reno County , Kansas with his mother and stepfather . The family ran a farm there while young Wilbert attended local schools. He then graduated from the Salt City Business College in Hutchinson by 1908 . At the age of 18 he was employed as an accountant and stenographer in a mill in Anthony . He later changed the company and finally ran a mill himself. He moved to Kansas City in 1919 and New Orleans in 1921 before moving to Fort Worth , Texas in 1925 , where he became sales manager for Burrus Mills . For this company he also took over radio advertising in 1928. On the radio, he also took part in religious discussions and composed songs. Between 1933 and 1934, O'Daniel was also President of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce.

Texas Governor

His radio appearances made him so well known that in 1938 he was elected as the new governor of Texas as a candidate for the Democratic Party with virtually no political experience . O'Daniel took office on January 17, 1939 and was re-elected in 1940. He wanted to abolish the so-called "poll tax laws", which linked the right to vote to certain assets. At the same time, he wanted to raise pensions in Texas. Both projects could not be politically implemented. It was similar with many other projects. His failure was partly due to his political inexperience in dealing with the legislature. He vetoed many legislative proposals, the meaning of which he did not understand. For a long time he was able to cover up his political failure with his clever radio broadcasts.

US Senator

After O'Daniel had been elected to succeed the late US Senator Morris Sheppard , he resigned as governor on August 4, 1941. In this election he was able to prevail against Lyndon B. Johnson . In the Senate, he replaced Andrew Jackson Houston , the son of Samuel Houston , who had taken over the office of Senator from Sheppard until the by-election and had since died at the age of 87. In 1942, O'Daniel was confirmed in the regular election. He was thus able to exercise this mandate between August 4, 1941 and January 3, 1949. In 1944 he stood unsuccessfully against a renewed presidential candidacy from Franklin D. Roosevelt . In 1948, approval for his passive policy in the Senate was only 7%. He then declined to run again and was succeeded by the future President Johnson.

Another résumé

In 1956 and 1958, O'Daniel competed in his party's gubernatorial primaries, but missed the nomination in each case. He was against racial integration in schools and called corresponding court judgments as "communist-inspired conspiracies". Wilbert Lee O'Daniel died in Dallas in May 1969. He had been married to Merle Estella Butcher since 1917, with whom he had three children.

Trivia

The film character Pappy O'Daniel from the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? is loosely based on W. Lee O'Daniel and was relocated from Texas to Mississippi .

O'Daniel brought Lyndon B. Johnson the only electoral defeat of his political career.

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

• W. Lee O'Daniel in the National Governors Association (English)
• W. Lee O'Daniel in the Handbook of Texas (English)
• W. Lee O'Daniel in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• W. Lee O'Daniel in the database of Find a Grave (English)