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Dolph Briscoe, Texan
Excerpt from Dolph Briscoe: My Life in Texas Ranching and Politics - Page One
Inaugural day in Austin on January 16, 1973, was cold, windy, and cloudy, but for Janey and me, the weather was irrelevant; in our minds it was a beautiful and glorious day. It began with a prayer breakfast featuring Tom Landry, the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, who delivered an inspirational talk that set the moral tone for the remainder of the inauguration. William P. "Bill" Hobby Jr., the newly elected lieutenant governor, and his wife, Diana, also attended the breakfast.
At noon, Bill Hobby and I, accompanied by our families, went to the grounds on the south side of the Capitol to take our separate oaths of office from Robert Calvert, the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. As we walked up to the platform under the archway of drawn swords formed by the Sul
Ross Volunteer honor guard of cadets from Texas A&M University, a nineteen- gun salute echoed across the Capitol grounds. Surrounding us on the platform were the members of the Texas House and Senate, the majority of whom were serving their first term. Special guests included former Texas governors Alan Shivers, Price Daniel, and Preston Smith; and Bill Hobby's mother, newspaper publisher and former Eisenhower cabinet member Oveta Culp Hobby. Former President Lyndon Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, braved the cold and windy weather to attend the inaugural. The Johnsons were there at the invitation of Bill Hobby. Lyndon had made few public appearances since leaving office four years earlier, so Janey and I were honored by his and Lady Bird's presence. After the inauguration ceremonies, Janey and
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