Texas Office of the Lieutenant Governor:

An Inventory of Ben F. Barnes' Correspondence Files (Part I: State Representative) at the Texas State Archives, 1960-1971

Ben F. Barnes Biographical Sketch

Ben Frank Barnes served Texas as lieutenant governor, Speaker of the House, and state representative. In his first political campaign, Barnes was elected in 1960 at the age of 22 as state representative for Brown, Coleman, Comanche and Runnels counties in West-Central Texas. He was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives by his colleagues in 1965 and became the youngest Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1968, a position he held until 1972 when he lost a race for governor. Ben Barnes was born April 17, 1938 at Gorman, Texas and grew up on his father's peanut farm at Comyn, between DeLeon and Dublin. Barnes enrolled in Texas Christian University in Fort Worth in 1955, later transferred to John Tarleton College, and finally to the University of Texas at Austin where he graduated in 1960 with a degree in business administration. Barnes also attended the University of Texas Law School.

While a representative, Barnes served as chairman of the House Rules Committee and as vice-chairman of the Banks and Banking Committee. As Speaker, Barnes supported passage of the Consumer Credit Code, clean-air and water-quality legislation, legislation establishing programs for the elderly and legislation in behalf of the mentally ill and handicapped. During his first term as Speaker, Barnes led in the passage of legislation which created the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. He was instrumental in creating the Coordinating Board for the Texas College and University System and the Governor's Committee on Aging, in revising and codifying the Uniform Commercial Code, in raising teachers' pay, and in revising the Code of Criminal Procedure. Some of the major issues faced during his terms as speaker were redistricting, improvement of higher education, the promotion of tourism in Texas, and efforts to attract new industry to the state.

As Lieutenant Governor, Barnes witnessed the creation of two nursing schools, a dental school, three medical schools, and four senior colleges; an increase in the minimum wage; and the adoption of the Liquor Reform Bill. He backed legislation in the area of mass transportation, and legislation creating the Texas Rehabilitation Commission. Throughout his four terms in the two offices, Barnes was also interested in the issue of higher education.

President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Barnes to his Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations in 1965. In 1968, Barnes represented the U.S. Department of State at the Committee on Agriculture of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Barnes represented this Department again in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Civil Defense Committee Conference in Brussels.

One of the overriding concerns of the 1972 elections was the Sharpstown stock-fraud scandal in which charges of fraud involving stock purchases were leveled against nearly two dozen state officials and former state officials. Though never directly implicated, Barnes' reputation was tainted by the scandal which caused him to lose his bid for the governor's office in 1972. Barnes retired from politics and became president of the Bennett-Barnes Development Company in Brownwood which was primarily involved in construction and real estate development. He also entered into partnerships and various business ventures, some with former governor John Connally.

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Agency History

The office of lieutenant governor is extremely powerful and influential in Texas state government. The Texas Constitution (Article IV, sections 1 and 16) gives the lieutenant governor power to act as governor in the event of the governor's absence from the state, or his/her death, resignation, impeachment, or inability or refusal to serve. The Constitution has also designated the lieutenant governor to serve as president of the Texas Senate. The current Rules of the Senate give the lieutenant governor authority to appoint all senate committees and their chairs, to decide all questions of order, to supervise all senate employees, and to determine the order of senate business. Texas statutes have made the lieutenant governor chairman of the Legislative Budget Board (which drafts the state budget) and the Texas Legislative Council (which is the legislature's main source for drafting bills); chair or vice-chair of the Legislative Audit Board (which appoints the state auditor) and the Legislative Education Board (which oversees state education policy); and member of the Legislative Redistricting Board (which redistricts house and senate seats after each decennial census).

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Scope and Contents of the Records

These records include incoming letters and copies of outgoing letters, telegrams, news clippings, postcards, petitions, invitations, brochures, studies, opinion surveys, and periodicals. Records date from 1960 to 1972 and are the correspondence files of Ben Barnes during his tenure with the Texas state legislature, including his time as Lieutenant Governor. (This first part of the finding aid includes files that cover almost the entire period, 1968-1971, but mainly files that cover Barnes' tenure as State Representative, 1960-1968). Correspondence, with attachments, is generally with constituents, officials, other legislators, and with members of state or federal boards, agencies, and commissions. Correspondents include such notables as Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ), Hubert Humphrey, George Herbert Walker Bush, Ralph Yarborough, and J.J. (Jake) Pickle. Topics of the correspondence include pending or proposed legislation, natural disasters in various parts of the state (hurricanes, tornadoes), welfare, job assistance, prisoners-of-war (POWs) and missing-in-action (MIAs) in Vietnam, the Apollo II landing, and welfare reform. Opinion surveys mailed to members of the National Federation of Independent Businessmen (NFIB) asked questions concerning blue laws, welfare, taxes, busing of school children, insurance, business affairs, and government rearrangement.

To prepare this inventory, the described materials were cursorily reviewed to delineate series, to confirm the accuracy of contents lists, to provide an estimate of dates covered, and to determine record types. The researcher should note that the contents of the boxes listed below have been compiled from a list provided at the time the records were transferred. Archives staff have not had the opportunity to verify the contents of the boxes and, therefore, cannot vouch for the accuracy of the list.

This finding aid has been split into two parts due to electronic file size limitations imposed by TARO. Click here on Part II (Lieutenant Governor correspondence) for the second part of the container listing.

If you are reading this electronically, you may click here on Texas Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Records of Ben F. Barnes to return to the main finding aid for records of this office. If you are reading this in paper, each of these finding aids is found at a separate divider within the binder.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Because of the possibility that portions of these records fall under Public Information Act exceptions, an archivist must review these records before they can be accessed for research. The records may be requested for research under the provisions of the Public Information Act (V.T.C.A., Government Code, Chapter 552). The researcher may request an interview with an archivist or submit a request by mail, fax, or e-mail including enough description and detail about the information requested to enable the archivist to accurately identify and locate the information requested. If our review reveals information that may be excepted by the Public Information Act, we are obligated to seek an open records decision from the Attorney General on whether the records can be released. The Public Information Act allows the Archives ten working days after receiving a request to make this determination. The Attorney General has 45 working days to render a decision. Alternately, the Archives can inform you of the nature of the potentially excepted information and if you agree, that information can be redacted or removed and you can access the remainder of the records.

In accordance with Texas Government Code, Chapter 306, Ben F. Barnes allowed public access to the communications between himself and his constituents on July 29, 2004.

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).

Where necessary, records will be redacted or restricted to comply with the Public Information Act and the Attorney General's decision.

Technical Requirements

None.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Correspondence files, Records of Ben F. Barnes, Texas Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession number: 1995/037

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Texas Secretary of the Senate on December 22, 1994.

Processing Information

Lisa M. Hendricks, October 1997

Nancy Enneking, September 2001

Tony Black, July 2004

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Detailed Description of the Records

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