David Richards - Once Upon a Time in Texas: A Liberal in the Lone Star State

Once Upon a Time in Texas

FOCUS ON AMERICAN HISTORY SERIES
Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin
EDITED BY DON CARLETON

Once Upon a Time in Texas
A Liberal in the Lone Star State

BY DAVID RICHARDS

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS
AUSTIN

: Sam Houston Clinton and I bought an old house in 1970 on the corner of Seventh and Nueces in Austin. It served as our office and as the headquarters of the Texas Observer and the Texas Civil Liberties Union. It is pictured here after Sam got elected to the Court of Criminal Appeals.

: These are my children, from left to right: Cecile Richards, Sam Richards, Hallie Richards, Ellen Richards, Dan Richards, and Clark Richards. No book could be complete without them.

Copyright 2002 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2002
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to Permissions, University of Texas Press, P.O. Box 7819, Austin, TX 78713-7819.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Richards, David, 1933
Once upon a time in Texas: a liberal in the Lone Star State / by David Richards.
p. cm. (Focus on American history series)
Includes index.
ISBN 0-292-77118-5 (cloth: alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-292-74906-1 (e-book)
ISBN 9780292749061 (individual e-book)

1. Richards, David, 1933 2. Political activistsTexasBiography. 3. TexasPolitics and government1951 4. LiberalismTexasHistory20th century. 5. Civil rights movementsTexasHistory20th century. 6. Labor movementTexasHistory20th century. I. Title. II. Series

F391.4R54 063 2002

942.085 092dc21

[B]

2001052231

This book is dedicated with abiding love to my children

Cecile,
Dan,
Clark,
Ellen,
Sam,
and
Hallie

Frankie Randolph, at the podium, was a dominating force in liberal politics in Texas throughout the 1950s. She funded the Texas Observer and provided much of the organizational muscle for a series of statewide liberal political action groups. In 1956, over the opposition of LBJ, she was elected National Democratic Committeewoman from Texas. Photograph courtesy of the Center For American History, UT-Austin, Lee (Russell) Photograph Collection, 19351937, CN# 10749.

Acknowledgments

I WOULD NEVER have undertaken or completed this project without the constant support of my lovely wife, Sandy, who reviewed and made helpful suggestions and comments on a series of drafts and was a ready source of encouragement when I bogged down. I am much indebted for her aid and comfort throughout the process.

A number of old friends were helpful, cudgeling my enfeebled memory and correcting my sometimes erratic notions of past events. My particular thanks go out to Jan Reid, Kaye Northcott, Oscar Mauzy, and Molly Ivins, who read early drafts and supplied both encouragement and helpful suggestions. Thanks also to Julie Ford, who graciously volunteered to help me avoid problems of defamation. Finally, I would never have made it without my sons Clark and Sam, who repeatedly rescued me from computer snafus.

After three defeats, two quite narrow, in races for governor, Ralph Yarborough won a special election in 1957 to the U.S. Senate, to the great joy of his fervent supporters. Yarborough had a distinguished Senate record and was the only senator from the Old South who consistently supported civil rights legislation. He defeated George Bush in his Senate reelection campaign of 1964. Photograph courtesy of the Center For American History, UT-Austin, Lee (Russell) Photograph Collection, 19351937, CN# 10747.

Henry Gonzalez, then state senator from San Antonio, led the fight against the segregation bills in the 1957 legislative session. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1958 against Price Daniel. Here he is shown being welcomed at the Democrats of Texas Convention, liberal counterpart to the official state party organization. Photograph courtesy of the Center For American History, UT-Austin, Lee (Russell) Photograph Collection, 19351937, CN# 10748.

Arthur Weaver and his wife pictured in front of their grocery store on Butt Street in Nacogdoches, Texas. Mr. Weaver was an indomitable civil rights activist in Nacogdoches and the lead plaintiff in two successful voting rights cases against both the city and the county of Nacogdoches. The 1974 county suit resulted in the first Black county official elected in Texas in the twentieth century.

The largest antiwar march in Austin occurred in May 1970, shortly after the Kent State shootings. It turned into a peaceful demonstration after a week or more of tense confrontations between activists and Austin police. It was peaceful thanks to U.S. District Judge Jack Roberts, who ordered the city of Austin to allow the march to go forward. Photograph courtesy of the Center For American History, UT-Austin, Prints and Photographs Collection, CN# 10745.

The farmworkers march began in the Texas Valley, in Mission, Texas, in the summer of 1966 as an outgrowth of labor organizing and the La Casita melon strike. The march culminated in Austin on Labor Day with a huge rally on the capitol grounds. This was a major event in the awakening of politics among Mexican Americans in South Texas. Pictured in the front row are Eugene Nelson, farmworker organizer; Reverend James Navarro; and Father Antonio Gonzlez. Roy Evans and Hank Brown of the Texas AFL-CIO can be seen in the right background.

The Mad Dog Board of Directors meeting. I believe this was the only time it ever gatheredprobably fortunately. Seated at the table from left to right are Mike Hershey, someone impersonating Gary Cartwright, Bud Shrake, and the author. Other attendees remain nameless. Photograph courtesy of the Center For American History, UT-Austin, Hershorn (Shel) Photograph Collection, ca. 19531996, CN# 10793.