W. Lee O'Daniel
|
|
Wilbert Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel (March 11, 1890 - May 11, 1969) was a radio personality and a politician from Texas.
O'Daniel was born in Malta, Ohio. As a young child, he moved to Reno County, Kansas. O'Daniel worked in the flour milling business and moved to Fort Worth, Texas in 1925 to work for the Burrus Mills. O'Daniel soon took over their radio advertising, wrote songs and hired a group of musicians.
In 1938, he ran for Governor of Texas as a Democrat. O'Daniel's campaign hailed his flour and the need for pensions and tax cuts. O'Daniel promised to block a sales tax and raise pensions. O'Daniel won the Democratic party primary election easily with 51% of the vote. O'Daniel proposed a new sales tax, which was voted down by the Texas Legislature. He easily won re-election in 1940.
In 1941, O'Daniel ran for the United States Senate in a special election. He defeated Lyndon Johnson by 1,306 votes in one of the more controversial elections in state history. As a Senator, O'Daniel was ineffective as most of his legislation was defeated. He endorsed the Texas Regulars in 1944 presidential election. O'Daniel refused to run for another term in 1948. O'Daniel ran for Governor of Texas in 1956 and 1958 and claimed that the Brown v. Board of Education decision was part of a communist conspiracy. He finished third in the Democratic primaries both times.
The film O Brother, Where Art Thou? featured a character named "Pappy" O'Daniel, loosely based on the real O'Daniel.
| Preceded by: James V. Allred | Governor of Texas 1939-1941 | Succeeded by: Coke R. Stevenson |
| Preceded by: Andrew J. Houston | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Texas 1941—1949 | Succeeded by: Lyndon B. Johnson External links
|