Wayne Connally
Encyclopedia
Wayne Wright Connally was a Texas
rancher, a Democratic
member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature, and a brother of both former Governor
and United States Treasury Secretary John Bowden Connally, Jr.
, and Merrill Lee Connally, Sr.
, an actor and a former county judge.
, the seat of Wilson County
some thirty miles southeast of San Antonio
. His father, John Connally, Sr., was a tenant farmer
who once ran for county clerk. His mother, the former Lela Wright, gave him his middle name. After attending public schools in Floresville and San Antonio, Connally attended the University of Texas at Austin
. He thereafter enlisted during World War II
in the United States Army Air Corps
, the forerunner of the Air Force
.
. In 1966, Wayne Connally was elected to the state Senate from District 21 and served until January 1973. In the 1970 Democratic primary, he defeated the Hispanic
activist, Erasmo Andrade. With the increasing clout of minorities in Democratic primaries, Andrade was considered a serious opponent. Andrade questioned why Connally had voted against a state minimum wage
proposal, a teacher
pay hike, and in support of retaining the state sales tax
on food. Wayne Connally, like his brother a protege of Lyndon B. Johnson
, retained his seat from the unexpected challenge.
On October 7, 1971, Connally was honored as "Governor for a Day", a tradition among state senators. He was also named president pro tempore
of the Senate in both a special session and for the fourth called session during his last two years in office.
Wayne Connally worked with John Connally to lay the groundwork for the first upper-level higher education institution in Laredo
, the seat of Webb County
. Texas A&I University at Laredo opened in 1969. In 1993, the institution was expanded and relocated as Texas A&M International University
.
Connally's chief of staff was Laredo attorney
Carlos Zaffirini, Sr., (born 1944). Zaffirni's wife, Judith Zaffirini
(born 1946), has held Connally's former Senate seat since her first election in 1986. She was a part-time media aide to Connally.
, Wyoming
, where he had relocated in his later years to be near his children. Survivors included two sons, Wyatt Connally and Wesley Connally, and a daughter Pamela; four grandchildren; his brother, Merrill (who died the following year), and his sister, Blanche Connally Kline. The Texas State Senate introduced a resolution on March 19, 2001, on what would have been Connally's 78th birthday, to recognize his public service.
Connally was cremated, his ashes were scattered on the family ranch in Floresville, and a cenotaph
was erected in his honor at the Texas State Cemetery
in Austin
.
Ralph M. Hall (also born 1923 and hence the senior member of the Texas delegation to the United States House of Representatives
) of Rockwall
near Dallas served with Connally in the state Senate. The two also ran against each other for lieutenant governor
in the 1972 Democratic primary. Both lost to William P. Hobby, Jr., whose mother, Oveta Culp Hobby
, owned the former Houston Post newspaper
. Upon Connally's death, Hall introduced into the Congressional Record
his personal tribute to his fallen friend: "He was a terrific Senator, totally dedicated ... so very capable of friendship, and ... always responsive to anyone in need. Wayne's over-riding goal was to uphold integrity and responsibility in government... Wayne embodied the Texas persona—and he leaves behind a legacy of faithful service to the people of his native state that he so loved."
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...
rancher, a Democratic
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 both houses of the Texas State Legislature, and a brother of both former 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...
and United States Treasury Secretary John Bowden Connally, Jr.
John Connally
John Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in...
, and Merrill Lee Connally, Sr.
Merrill Connally
Merrill Lee Connally, Sr. , was an American film actor, a county administrative judge, a rancher, and a brother of both Governor John B. Connally, Jr. , and Texas State Senator Wayne Connally ....
, an actor and a former county judge.
Early years, education, military
Connally was born into a family of eight children and reared in FloresvilleFloresville, Texas
Floresville is a city in Wilson County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,868 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Wilson County. The city is also part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, the seat of Wilson County
Wilson County, Texas
Wilson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 32,408. Its county seat is Floresville. The county is named after James Charles Wilson....
some thirty miles southeast of San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. His father, John Connally, Sr., was a tenant farmer
Tenant farmer
A tenant farmer is one who resides on and farms land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management; while tenant farmers contribute their labor along with at times varying...
who once ran for county clerk. His mother, the former Lela Wright, gave him his middle name. After attending public schools in Floresville and San Antonio, Connally attended the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. He thereafter enlisted during 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...
in the United States Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
, the forerunner of the Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
.
Legislative years
In 1964, when John Connally was handily victorious to the second of three consecutive two-year terms as governor, Wayne Connally was elected to the District 44 seat in the Texas House of RepresentativesTexas 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...
. In 1966, Wayne Connally was elected to the state Senate from District 21 and served until January 1973. In the 1970 Democratic primary, he defeated the Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
activist, Erasmo Andrade. With the increasing clout of minorities in Democratic primaries, Andrade was considered a serious opponent. Andrade questioned why Connally had voted against a state minimum wage
Minimum wage
A minimum wage is the lowest hourly, daily or monthly remuneration that employers may legally pay to workers. Equivalently, it is the lowest wage at which workers may sell their labour. Although minimum wage laws are in effect in a great many jurisdictions, there are differences of opinion about...
proposal, a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
pay hike, and in support of retaining the state sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
on food. Wayne Connally, like his brother a protege of Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, retained his seat from the unexpected challenge.
On October 7, 1971, Connally was honored as "Governor for a Day", a tradition among state senators. He was also named president pro tempore
President pro tempore
A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer...
of the Senate in both a special session and for the fourth called session during his last two years in office.
Wayne Connally worked with John Connally to lay the groundwork for the first upper-level higher education institution in Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
, the seat of Webb County
Webb County, Texas
Webb County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. The official 2010 population for the county is 250,304. In 2000, its population was 193,117, and in 2006 its population had been estimated to have reached to 231,470. Its county seat is Laredo...
. Texas A&I University at Laredo opened in 1969. In 1993, the institution was expanded and relocated as Texas A&M International University
Texas A&M International University
Texas A&M International University, often referred to as TAMIU, is a public, co-educational, state-supported university located in Laredo, Texas...
.
Connally's chief of staff was Laredo attorney
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...
Carlos Zaffirini, Sr., (born 1944). Zaffirni's wife, Judith Zaffirini
Judith Zaffirini
Judith Zaffirini is a Democratic member of the Texas State Senate representing the 21st District, which includes her home city of Laredo. On January 9, 2007, Zaffirini became the second in seniority in the 31-member Texas Senate, where she has served since 1987...
(born 1946), has held Connally's former Senate seat since her first election in 1986. She was a part-time media aide to Connally.
Death and legacy
Connally died in CodyCody, Wyoming
Cody is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after William Frederick Cody, primarily known as Buffalo Bill, from William Cody's part in the creation of the original town. The population was 9,520 at the 2010 census...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, where he had relocated in his later years to be near his children. Survivors included two sons, Wyatt Connally and Wesley Connally, and a daughter Pamela; four grandchildren; his brother, Merrill (who died the following year), and his sister, Blanche Connally Kline. The Texas State Senate introduced a resolution on March 19, 2001, on what would have been Connally's 78th birthday, to recognize his public service.
Connally was cremated, his ashes were scattered on the family ranch in Floresville, and a cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
was erected in his honor at the Texas State Cemetery
Texas State Cemetery
The Texas State Cemetery is a cemetery located on about just east of downtown Austin, the capital of Texas. Originally the burial place of Edward Burleson, Texas Revolutionary general and Vice-President of the Republic of Texas, it was expanded into a Confederate cemetery during the Civil War...
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...
.
Ralph M. Hall (also born 1923 and hence the senior member of the Texas delegation to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
) of Rockwall
Rockwall, Texas
Rockwall is a city in Rockwall County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Dallas. It is part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The population was 37,490 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Rockwall County. Rockwall County is the second wealthiest county in the state of Texas in terms...
near Dallas served with Connally in the state Senate. The two also ran against each other for lieutenant governor
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
The Lieutenant Governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and controls the budgeting process as a leader of the...
in the 1972 Democratic primary. Both lost to William P. Hobby, Jr., whose mother, Oveta Culp Hobby
Oveta Culp Hobby
Oveta Culp Hobby was the first secretary of the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, first commanding officer of the Women's Army Corps, and chairman of the board of the Houston Post....
, owned the former Houston Post newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
. Upon Connally's death, Hall introduced into the Congressional Record
Congressional Record
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published by the United States Government Printing Office, and is issued daily when the United States Congress is in session. Indexes are issued approximately every two weeks...
his personal tribute to his fallen friend: "He was a terrific Senator, totally dedicated ... so very capable of friendship, and ... always responsive to anyone in need. Wayne's over-riding goal was to uphold integrity and responsibility in government... Wayne embodied the Texas persona—and he leaves behind a legacy of faithful service to the people of his native state that he so loved."