Jim Mattox
| Jim Mattox | |
|---|---|
Then-U.S. Rep. Jim Mattox in 1979 in the Congressional Pictorial Directory
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| 47th Attorney General of Texas | |
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In office January 18, 1983 – January 15, 1991 |
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| Governor |
Mark White Bill Clements |
| Preceded by | Mark White |
| Succeeded by | Dan Morales |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 5th district |
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In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Alan Steelman |
| Succeeded by | John Wiley Bryant |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 33 (East Dallas) | |
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In office 1973–1977 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Albon Mattox August 29, 1943 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 20, 2008 (aged 65) Dripping Springs, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place |
Texas State Cemetery Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Marta Jan Karpan |
| Children | James Sterling Mattox Janet Mary Kathryn Mattox |
| Alma mater |
Woodrow Wilson High School Baylor University (B.A.) Southern Methodist University (J.D.) |
| Profession | Attorney and politician |
| Religion | Baptist |
James Albon "Jim" Mattox (August 29, 1943 – November 20, 2008) was an American lawyer and politician who served three terms in the United States House of Representatives and two four-year terms as state Attorney General, but lost high-profile races for Governor in 1990, the U.S. Senate in 1994, and again as attorney general in 1998. He was known as the "people's lawyer" because of his advocacy of what he deemed the needs of everyday Texans. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
In 1961, Mattox graduated in Dallas from Woodrow Wilson High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1965 from Baylor University in Waco and his Juris Doctor degree from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
Mattox began his political career as the assistant district attorney in Dallas County and was then elected from an East Dallas district (33-K) to the Texas House of Representatives in 1972 and reelected in 1974. As a state legislator, Mattox developed an interest in ethics reform and open government.
Considered a political liberal Mattox was elected to Congress from the Fifth Congressional District in 1976, 1978, and 1980. In his first election, running on the Jimmy Carter-Walter F. Mondale ticket, he defeated the Republican Nancy Judy, 67,871 (54 percent) to 56,056 (44.6 percent). The incumbent Republican Alan Steelman ran unsuccessfully that year for the U.S. Senate against the Democratic incumbent Lloyd M. Bentsen, Jr.
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