Ben Barnes (politician)
| Ben Barnes | |
|---|---|
Barnes at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2015
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| 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas | |
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In office January 21, 1969 – January 16, 1973 |
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| Governor | Preston Smith |
| Preceded by | Preston Smith |
| Succeeded by | William P. Hobby, Jr. |
| Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives | |
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In office January 12, 1965 – January 14, 1969 |
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| Preceded by | Byron M. Tunnell |
| Succeeded by | Gus F. Mutscher |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 64 | |
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In office January 8, 1963 – January 14, 1969 |
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| Preceded by | O.H. Schram |
| Succeeded by | Lynn Nabers |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 73 | |
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In office January 10, 1961 – January 8, 1963 |
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| Preceded by | Ben Sudderth |
| Succeeded by | Richard C. Slack |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 17, 1938 Gorman, Eastland County Texas, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Divorced from the former Martha Morgan (2) Nancy DeGraffenried (3) Melaine Barnes |
| Children | From first marriage: Greg Barnes Amy Barnes Adopted in third marriage: Elena Barnes Blaire Barnes |
| Residence | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin |
| Profession | Real estate investor, Politician, Lobbyist |
Benny Frank Barnes (born April 17, 1938), known as Ben Barnes, is an American real estate magnate, politician, and lobbyist, who formerly served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from 1965 to 1969 and the 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas from January 21, 1969 to January 16, 1973, for two two-year terms. He was a vice-chair and top fund-raiser of John Kerry's presidential campaign. Barnes was one of only eight persons who raised over $500,000 for Kerry.
Barnes was born in Gorman in Eastland County, Texas, on April 17, 1938, and named "Benny Frank Barnes". His parents, B.F. Barnes and Ina B. Carrigan, had another son twenty-one months later, Rick Barnes. The family moved to Comanche County, where Barnes graduated in 1956 from De Leon High School in De Leon. After high school, he enrolled for one semester at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, followed by a semester at Tarleton College in Stephenville, Texas. That spring he married his high school sweetheart, Martha Morgan, and at age twenty began studying at the University of Texas at Austin.
Barnes has two children from his first marriage, Greg and Amy. He has four grandchildren: Ashley Mathis, Ben Barnes, II, Kelly Barnes, and Katherine Mathis.
While a student at The University of Texas, Barnes worked at the Texas State Health Department. After discovering some financial irregularities that led to the indictment of the state health commissioner, Barnes became interested in politics. He went back to his home area of the state and ran for state representative, when he was barely 21 years old and pulled off an upset victory. Advancing quickly through the Texas legislature, by 1963, Barnes was chairman of the powerful Rules Committee. The U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce recognized Barnes as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Men in America" in 1965.
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