Grady Hazlewood
Encyclopedia
Grady Hazlewood was a Democratic
member of the Texas State Senate from 1941 to 1971, having represented the Amarillo
-based District 31
in the Panhandle
. He was sometimes known as "the old gray fox" for his ability as an "aw shucks" country lawyer
to procure passage of his bills.
(established 1852) near Bronte
in Coke County, Texas
, located northeast of San Angelo
. Chadbourne is now a ghost town
accessible to the south of Sweetwater
, the seat of Nolan County. As a boy, Hazlewood relocated with his parents and four brothers to a farm near Canyon
, the seat of Randall County, south of Amarillo. He graduated from West Texas A&M University
(then West Texas State Teachers College) in Canyon. In 1926, he procured his legal degree through the University of Texas Law School in Austin
. In 1927, he married the former Audrine Smith (May 26, 1902–April 30, 1991) He returned to Amarillo to practice law and was elected district attorney
during the 1930s
.
Having first been elected to the state Senate in 1940, he was undefeated and mostly unopposed until his retirement in 1971. He was succeeded by his fellow Democrat Max Sherman
, also an Amarillo lawyer, who in the 1970 general election
defeated the Republican
nominee Malouf Abraham, Sr.
, an oilman and state representative
from Canadian
, the seat of Hemphill County, also in the Panhandle. In addition to his legal duties, Hazlewood operated a dairy farm and maintained real estate
interests in Austin. He was a breeder and trainer of Tennessee walking horses.
Senator Hazlewood worked for passage of legislation establishing the first loan program in any state that permitted tuition-free education at Texas colleges and universities for returning veterans of World War II
. Later, he co-sponsored the Hinson-Hazlewood program, the first plan in any state to offer low-interest state loans to Texas college students. He authored the legislation that elevated his alma mater
to the full-fledged WTAMU. He was subsequently appointed by Governor
Preston Smith
to the WTAMU board of regents.
Hazlewood created the Canadian River
Municipal Water Authority, which led to the building of Lake Meredith
, a major water source for the northern Texas Panhandle. In the late 1940s, he co-sponsored the original farm-to-market road program, which in time paved in asphalt the previous rural dirt roads. In 1963, Hazlewood was chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee during the tenure of Governor John B. Connally, Jr. Among his interests was obtaining state appropriations for the transportation of tuberculosis
patients to and from state hospitals.
Hazlewood obtained state support for the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
in Canyon and even helped to maintain the museum for a time with his own financial backing. He left his papers to the museum and contributed $20,000 toward the construction of the museum archives. The Hazlewood papers are hence available to researchers through WTAMU.
Hazlewood sponsored the creation of Texas' first municipal hospital supported by property tax
es. The hospital, located in Amarillo, became subsequently a model for other cities. Through a gift from his estate to the Amarillo Area Foundation, several scholarships for Panhandle students are still offered in Hazlewood's name.
Hazlewood's former Senate seat is now held by the Republican Kel Seliger
of Amarillo.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Texas State Senate from 1941 to 1971, having represented the Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
-based District 31
Texas Senate, District 31
District 31 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that currently serves Andrews, Bailey, Cochran, Crane, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Ector, Gaines, Glasscock, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Howard, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Martin, Midland, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Potter, Randall, Roberts,...
in the Panhandle
Texas Panhandle
The Texas Panhandle is a region of the U.S. state of Texas consisting of the northernmost 26 counties in the state. The panhandle is a rectangular area bordered by New Mexico to the west and Oklahoma to the north and east...
. He was sometimes known as "the old gray fox" for his ability as an "aw shucks" country lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
to procure passage of his bills.
Biography
Hazlewood was born at Old Fort ChadbourneFort Chadbourne
Fort Chadbourne was a fort established by the United States Army on October 28, 1852, in what is now Coke County, Texas, to protect the western frontier and the Butterfield Overland Mail route. It was manned by the 8th U.S. Infantry...
(established 1852) near Bronte
Bronte, Texas
Bronte is a town in Coke County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,076 at the 2000 census.Texas State Senator Grady Hazlewood, who served from the Amarillo-based District 31 from 1941-1971, was born in 1902 in Coke County near Bronte.-Geography:...
in Coke County, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, located northeast of San Angelo
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
. Chadbourne is now a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
accessible to the south of Sweetwater
Sweetwater, Texas
Sweetwater is the county seat of Nolan County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,415 at the 2000 census.-History:Sweetwater received a U.S. post office in 1879. The Texas and Pacific Railway started service in 1881, with the first train arriving on March 12 of that year, beginning...
, the seat of Nolan County. As a boy, Hazlewood relocated with his parents and four brothers to a farm near Canyon
Canyon, Texas
Canyon is a city in Randall County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,875 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Randall County. It is the home of West Texas A&M University and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is some twelve miles east of Canyon...
, the seat of Randall County, south of Amarillo. He graduated from West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University
West Texas A&M University , part of the Texas A&M University System, is a public university located in Canyon, Texas, a small city south of Amarillo. West Texas A&M opened on September 20, 1910...
(then West Texas State Teachers College) in Canyon. In 1926, he procured his legal degree through the University of Texas Law School in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. In 1927, he married the former Audrine Smith (May 26, 1902–April 30, 1991) He returned to Amarillo to practice law and was elected district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
during the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
.
Having first been elected to the state Senate in 1940, he was undefeated and mostly unopposed until his retirement in 1971. He was succeeded by his fellow Democrat Max Sherman
Max Sherman
Max Ray Sherman is a former member of the Texas State Senate from Amarillo, Texas. He was also president of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, and dean of the Lyndon B...
, also an Amarillo lawyer, who in the 1970 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
defeated the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee Malouf Abraham, Sr.
Malouf Abraham, Sr.
Malouf Abraham, Sr. was a self-made Texas multi-millionaire in the oil and natural gas business and a political and civic leader from Canadian, the seat of Hemphill County in the northeastern Texas Panhandle. He made his fortune in part by leasing mineral rights throughout the eastern Panhandle...
, an oilman and state representative
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...
from Canadian
Canadian, Texas
Canadian is the county seat of Hemphill County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,233 at the 2000 census. It is named for the Canadian River, a tributary of the nearby Arkansas River. Canadian is sometimes called "the oasis of the Texas Panhandle."-History:The trails along the river are...
, the seat of Hemphill County, also in the Panhandle. In addition to his legal duties, Hazlewood operated a dairy farm and maintained real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
interests in Austin. He was a breeder and trainer of Tennessee walking horses.
Senator Hazlewood worked for passage of legislation establishing the first loan program in any state that permitted tuition-free education at Texas colleges and universities for returning veterans of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Later, he co-sponsored the Hinson-Hazlewood program, the first plan in any state to offer low-interest state loans to Texas college students. He authored the legislation that elevated his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
to the full-fledged WTAMU. He was subsequently appointed by Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
Preston Smith
Preston Smith (Texas)
Preston Earnest Smith was the 40th Governor of Texas from 1969 to 1973, who earlier served as the lieutenant governor from 1963 to 1969.-Early life:...
to the WTAMU board of regents.
Hazlewood created the Canadian River
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and most of Oklahoma....
Municipal Water Authority, which led to the building of Lake Meredith
Lake Meredith
Lake Meredith is a reservoir formed by Sanford Dam on the Canadian River at Sanford, Texas. It is located about northeast of Amarillo, Texas in the Texas Panhandle. It is a major source of drinking water for Amarillo and Lubbock, Texas, located about to the south along with many other towns in...
, a major water source for the northern Texas Panhandle. In the late 1940s, he co-sponsored the original farm-to-market road program, which in time paved in asphalt the previous rural dirt roads. In 1963, Hazlewood was chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee during the tenure of Governor John B. Connally, Jr. Among his interests was obtaining state appropriations for the transportation of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
patients to and from state hospitals.
Hazlewood obtained state support for the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is a history museum on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas, U.S.A., a small city south of Amarillo. The museum's contents are owned and controlled by the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society, while West Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M...
in Canyon and even helped to maintain the museum for a time with his own financial backing. He left his papers to the museum and contributed $20,000 toward the construction of the museum archives. The Hazlewood papers are hence available to researchers through WTAMU.
Hazlewood sponsored the creation of Texas' first municipal hospital supported by property tax
Property tax
A property tax is an ad valorem levy on the value of property that the owner is required to pay. The tax is levied by the governing authority of the jurisdiction in which the property is located; it may be paid to a national government, a federated state or a municipality...
es. The hospital, located in Amarillo, became subsequently a model for other cities. Through a gift from his estate to the Amarillo Area Foundation, several scholarships for Panhandle students are still offered in Hazlewood's name.
Hazlewood's former Senate seat is now held by the Republican Kel Seliger
Kel Seliger
Kelton Gray “Kel” Seliger is a Republican member of the Texas State Senate representing District 31 in the Panhandle and the Permian Basin....
of Amarillo.