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.

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).