Joe Madison Kilgore | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 15th district |
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In office January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1965 |
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Preceded by | Lloyd Bentsen |
Succeeded by | Kika de la Garza |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from Hidalgo County |
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In office 1947–1955 |
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Preceded by | Eugene Harrell |
Succeeded by | John Taylor Ellis, Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born |
Brownwood, Brown County Texas, U.S. |
December 10, 1918
Died | February 10, 1999 Austin, Travis County Texas |
(aged 80)
Resting place | Texas State Cemetery in Austin |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Jane Redman Kilgore |
Residence |
(1) Edinburg, Hidalgo County, Texas (2) Austin, Texas |
Alma mater | University of Texas School of Law |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Awards | Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal with two Oak leaf clusters |
Military service | |
Service/branch | United States Army Air Corps |
Battles/wars | World War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
(1) Edinburg, Hidalgo County, Texas
Joe Madison Kilgore (December 10, 1918 – February 10, 1999) served from 1955 to 1965 as a U.S. Representative from Texas's 15th congressional district.
Born in Brown County, near Brownwood in west central Texas, Kilgore attended the public schools of Rising Star in Eastland County in north central Texas. In 1929, he moved with his family to Mission in south Texas, where he also attended public schools.
From 1935 to 1936, Kilgore attended Trinity University, then known as Westmoreland College, located in San Antonio, Texas. His legal studies were interrupted at the University of Texas School of Law in July 1941 to enlist in the United States Army Air Corps. He was a combat pilot in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations.
Kilgore was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal with two Oak leaf clusters. He was discharged from the Army in 1945 as a lieutenant colonel.
He returned to law school, and in 1946 he was admitted to the bar. He began his law practice in Edinburg in Hidalgo County in south Texas.