Tom Connally | |
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United States Senator from Texas |
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In office March 4, 1929 – January 3, 1953 |
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Preceded by | Earle B. Mayfield |
Succeeded by | Price Daniel |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 11th district |
|
In office March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1929 |
|
Preceded by | Robert L. Henry |
Succeeded by | Oliver H. Cross |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 69 (Marlin) | |
In office 1903–1905 |
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Preceded by | Abram Cole |
Succeeded by |
Austin Milton Kennedy W. C. O'Bryan |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 72 (Marlin) | |
In office 1901–1903 |
|
Preceded by | Sam Little |
Succeeded by |
John W. Stollenwerck, Sr. Samuel R. Boyd |
Personal details | |
Born |
Thomas Terry Connally August 19, 1877 Eddy, Falls County Texas, USA |
Died | October 28, 1963 Washington, D.C. |
(aged 86)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) |
(1) Louise Clarkson Connally (died 1935) |
Alma mater | Baylor University |
(1) Louise Clarkson Connally (died 1935)
Thomas Terry "Tom" Connally (August 19, 1877 – October 28, 1963) was an American politician, who represented Texas in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, as a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1917 to 1929, and in the U.S. Senate from 1929 to 1953.
Connally studied at Baylor University and earned his A.B. in 1896. He later attended the University of Texas School of Law, earning his LL.B. in 1898. While there, Connally was a close friend of future Governor of Texas Pat Neff and future United States Senator Morris Sheppard. After earning his law degree, he enlisted in the 2nd Texas Volunteer Infantry to fight in the Spanish–American War. After the end of the war, he established a law firm in Marlin, Texas, where he worked until his entry into politics.
Connally ran unopposed and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1900 and 1902. During his tenure in the Texas House he was a prominent opponent of monopolies and co-authored the Texas Anti-Trust Law of 1903. After 1904, he left state politics to pursue his legal career, and served as the prosecuting attorney for Falls County from 1906 to 1910. In 1916, he made his first foray into national politics by running for the vacant House seat for the 11th Congressional District of Texas. After resigning his office to fight in World War I, Connally returned to the House where he served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and worked against isolationist policies.