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Dolph Briscoe, Texan - Biography - Page One
Dolph Briscoe Jr., who served as Texas governor from 1973 to 1979,
Governor Dolph Briscoe. Dolph Briscoe Papers, CAH; di_03922.
has led a distinguished career in public service, business, and ranching. A lifelong resident of Uvalde, Texas, Briscoe was first elected to the Texas Legislature in 1948 and served as a state representative from 1949 to 1957. As part of the reform movement in state politics stemming from the
Sharpstown scandals, Briscoe won election as governor in 1972. During his six years as governor, Briscoe presided during a period of reform in state government as Texas's population and commerce boomed. Following his two terms as governor, Briscoe returned to the cattle ranching and banking business in Uvalde. He is recognized as one of the leading citizens of the state and a benevolent supporter of many civic, cultural, and educational institutions in Texas and the nation. Most recently, the former Texas governor established the Dolph and Janey Briscoe Fund for Texas History at the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.
The Briscoe family settled in Texas in what is now Fort Bend County in 1832. Andrew Briscoe signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, led a company of volunteers in the battle of San Jacinto, and was appointed the first judge of Harris County by Sam Houston. Dolph Briscoe Sr. and his wife, Georgie,
moved from their home in Fort Bend County to Uvalde in 1910, where
Briscoe Sr. became a cattle rancher, mohair merchant, and banker. Dolph Briscoe Sr. was a close associate of Humble Oil Company founder, Texas Gov. Ross Sterling. During Gov. James Allred's term, the senior Briscoe was appointed chairman of the Texas Racing Commission. From 1930 to 1933, he served on the board of directors of First State Bank of Uvalde with the community's most famous member, congressman and future vice president John Nance Garner.
Dolph Briscoe Jr. was born on April 23, 1923. After his graduation from Uvalde High School as valedictorian, Dolph Briscoe Jr. attended the University of Texas. He was active in many campus organizations, including the Friars and Chi Phi Fraternity, and was editor of the Cactus yearbook. While at the university, he met fellow student Janey Slaughter of Austin, and they were married in 1942. The couple had three children, Janey Briscoe Marmion, Dolph Briscoe III,
and Cele Briscoe Carpenter.