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Wilbert Lee (Pappy) O'Daniel, Texas governor from January 17, 1939 through August 4, 1941, was born in Malta, Ohio on March 11, 1890, one of two children of William Barnes and Alice Ann (Thompson) O'Daniel. His father, who was a Union veteran, died in an accident shortly after his son was born. Before Wilbert was five years old his mother remarried and the family moved to a farm in Reno County, Kansas. He went to public schools in Arlington, Kansas and received a two-year degree from Salt City Business College in Hutchinson, Kansas in 1908. He went to work as a stenographer and bookkeeper at a flour milling company in Anthony, Kansas, and after a few years moved to a larger milling company in Kingman, Kansas where he became sales manager. Eventually he went into the flour milling business for himself. He moved to Kansas City in 1919, to New Orleans in 1921, and to Fort Worth in 1925 where he became sales manager of the Burrus Mill and Elevator Company. In 1928 he took over the company's radio advertising and began writing poems and songs and discussing religious topics on a weekly radio program which he directed. He hired a band of unemployed musicians and named them the Light Crust Doughboys. The Doughboys, who played hillbilly music, gained widespread popularity. O'Daniel was credited with popularizing western swing music and helped to launch the career of musician Bob Wills. O'Daniel served as the president of the Forth Worth Chamber of Commerce from 1933 to 1934. In 1935 he formed his own flour company.
Despite his lack of political experience O'Daniel decided to run for
governor in 1938 at the urging of his radio audience. He ran on a platform of
the Ten Commandments, motherly love and patriotism and called for increased
old-age pensions, social security, tax cuts and industrialization. He
emphasized the fact that he was an outsider and railed against
O'Daniel ran for reelection to the Senate in 1942 against, among others, former governors James V Allred and Daniel J. Moody. He claimed there was a conspiracy against him headed by Allred and Moody, professional politicians, the politically controlled press, and communistic liberal labor leaders allied to defeat him. He narrowly defeated Allred, largely through the strength of elderly and rural voters. He proved to be unpopular with both his constituents at home and his colleagues in the Senate. He had a public approval rating in the single digits and chose not to run for reelection when his term expired in 1948. He returned to Texas, bought a ranch near Forth Worth, invested in real estate and formed an insurance company in Dallas. He ran in Democratic gubernatorial primaries in 1956 and 1958 making anti-communist and racist appeals but finished a distant third in both elections.
O'Daniel married Merle Estella Butcher in 1917 in Hutchinson, Kansas. They had two sons and a daughter. He died on May 12, 1969 in Dallas and was buried in Hillcrest Memorial Park.
Records from the office of Texas governor W. Lee O'Daniel include correspondence, transcripts of radio broadcasts and speeches, minutes of meetings, proclamations, press releases, articles, clippings and other printed materials dating from 1938 to 1941, undated (bulk 1939-1941). These records reflect issues and concerns important to O'Daniel's administration. Prominent themes represented throughout the records include old age pensions, taxes to raise revenues for social security, industrialization of Texas and national security. Of particular interest are transcripts of his weekly religious-themed radio broadcasts and investigation files of alleged anti-American activities. The largest single series is correspondence from the general public. Many people wrote to him seeking jobs and relief from the Depression. In other series there is correspondence with state legislators, educators, state and federal government officials and prominent businessmen. Materials from 1938 predate O'Daniel's tenure as governor and were sent to him as Governor-elect.
The original unprocessed collection contained at least three separate filing systems: Governor O'Daniel's personal files, his secretary's files and an additional set of files from his office. Many of the records did not appear to be in any discernible order.
These records are organized into 9 series:
(Identify the item and cite the series), Records, Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession numbers: 1963/058, 1972/093, 1985/024, 2001/138
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by an unknown source at an unspecified time, the Texas Secretary of State on December 9, 1963, and by the Records Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission in 1961 and on February 24, 1972. A new accession number was assigned for control purposes on July 12, 2001.
T. Matthew De Waelsche, July 2001
These records consist of correspondence from the general public
with Texas Governor O'Daniel's office from 1938 to 1941, undated (bulk
1939-1941). They include miscellaneous correspondence, acknowledgments and
thanks, applications and endorsements for unspecified state jobs, letters of
commendation, congratulations, invitations, correspondence relating to old age
pensions, personal correspondence, requests, suggestions, and crank letters.
Folder listings for correspondence files labeled
(Identify the item), Correspondence, Records of W. Lee O'Daniel, Texas Office of the Governor. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Correspondence is arranged by type in chronological order with noted exceptions arranged in alphabetical order.
(in response to radio broadcasts of May 1940, arranged chronologically by date of governor's letters, then alphabetically by last name of graduates)
These records contain correspondence, articles and clippings, and printed material regarding alleged un-American activities in Texas from 1939 to 1941. They include correspondence with the public concerning un-American activities in general; correspondence with and about Jehovah's Witnesses, who were subjected to harassment and threats of mob violence because of their refusal to salute the American flag and their distribution of religious tracts; articles and clippings; and investigation files following up on allegations of subversion submitted by the general public to the Texas governor's office. O'Daniel was vitally interested in national security. In a speech in Mineral Wells, Texas, on May 20, 1940 the governor issued a call for people to be vigilant and watch for subversive activities, promising to forward any evidence submitted to him to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other appropriate federal authorities to investigate. He further stressed the theme on many of his subsequent radio broadcasts. Governor O'Daniel forwarded the information in the investigation folios to the State Adjutant General. There are also marginal notes on some of the records indicating that the information was passed on to the Federal Bureau of Investigation but no direct correspondence relating to the final disposition of the cases is in these records.
(Identify the item), Anti-American activities files, Records, Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
The records are arranged by type of material and then in chronological order.
One hundred sixty-two numbered reports of alleged subversive activities, called investigation folios, were submitted by the public to the governor's office. They have been arranged in numerical order and filed in groups of ten.
These records are comprised of 135 transcripts of radio broadcasts made by Governor O'Daniel from 1939 to 1941, correspondence related to the broadcasts, including requests for dedications and copies of songs and poems used on the programs, poems and songs people sent in to the governor for use on his programs, and copies of poems and songs used on the broadcasts, including several composed by Governor O'Daniel. Most of the radio broadcasts were regular weekly Sunday morning half hour programs originating from the Texas Governor's Mansion. Some were broadcasts of special events. Themes of the regular weekly broadcasts were usually religion based and family oriented; he often discussed legislative and social issues, such as old age pensions, social security and national defense, stressing Christian moral values as a defense against the evils of the times. O'Daniel's radio broadcasts reached a broad audience and were extremely popular.
(Identify the item), Radio broadcast files, Records, Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
The transcripts are arranged in order by broadcast date. Correspondence and requests are arranged in chronological order and are followed by poems and songs.
The records include correspondence, personal greetings from the governor to individuals and organizations, press releases, speeches and addresses, messages to the legislature and ceremonial proclamations from 1939 to 1941. These are the public relations files of the Texas governor's office during W. Lee O'Daniel's term in office. Personal greetings from the governor are written in honor of birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations or welcome people to the state. Press releases inform news agencies and the public of the governor's activities, including signing and vetoing bills; appointing individuals to and accepting their resignations from state agencies, boards, and commissions; staying executions; offering rewards; and proclaiming a day, week, or month for special purposes. Some correspondence from individuals or groups requests recognition of special events by the governor. Also included are messages of other states' governors to their legislatures (1938-1939) and proclamations from other states (1939).
(Identify the item), Public relations files, Records, Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These records are arranged by type of material then in chronological order.
These records consist of correspondence, reports, printed materials, memos to the press and veto proclamations dealing with state legislation from the 46th (1939-1940) and part of the 47th (1941) regular sessions of the Texas State Legislature with some undated material. They include correspondence about bills as well as copies of some bills. Correspondence with legislators concerns signing of legislative bills; correspondence from the general public deals with proposed legislation in general and specific topics such as calls for special sessions, constitutional amendments, old age pensions, taxes and social security. Also included is legislation from other states.
(Identify the item), State legislation, Records, Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These records are arranged in chronological order.
These records are comprised of correspondence, reports, newsletters and miscellaneous printed materials from various state agencies, departments, boards and commissions sent to the Texas Governor's Office from 1938 to 1941 (bulk 1939-1941). Correspondence includes applications and endorsements for state jobs, appointments to positions, and referrals from the Governor's office to specific state agencies. Records from the Board of Pardons and Paroles include proclamations signed by the governor granting pardons to inmates.
(Identify the item), State agencies, Records, Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Records are arranged in alphabetical order by agency. Within each agency correspondence is arranged by type or subject and then chronologically except for a few noted exceptions where it is arranged alphabetically.
These applications and endorsements are filed in two chronological groupings and then alphabetically.
This is not a complete run. Several issues are missing.
These records consist of correspondence, reports, orders and printed materials from agencies and departments of the federal government sent to the Texas Governor's Office from 1938 to 1941 (bulk 1939-1941). Correspondence with the Federal Bureau of Investigation includes speeches and addresses of director J. Edgar Hoover. Records from the Public Buildings Administration and the Treasury Department include deeds, blueprints and plans for new federal buildings and post office sites around the state.
(Identify the item), Federal agencies, Records, Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These records are arranged alphabetically by agency then chronologically.
Subject files consist of correspondence with organizations and individuals, printed materials and reports from 1938 to 1941, undated (bulk 1939-1941) covering a wide range of topics. Many reflect areas of Governor O'Daniel's personal interests such as capital punishment, religion, industrialization of the state, selective service, national defense, and education. Other prominent issues represented include judicial appointments, law enforcement, meetings and conferences, pension plans and taxation. Of special interest in the industrialization files is correspondence regarding a December 1938 meeting with Henry Ford and a booklet written by Governor O'Daniel in 1939 on industrial development in Texas.
(Identify the item), Subject files, Records, Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
These records are arranged in alphabetical order by subject. Within the files they are arranged by type of material and then in chronological order.
(Panel established to provide advice and guidance for governor-elect O'Daniel)
These records dating from 1938 to 1941 (bulk 1939-1941) consist of
advertisements sent to the Governor's office, miscellaneous newspaper articles
and clippings about Governor O'Daniel, bulletins and brochures, journals and
newsletters, speeches and addresses made by other people and miscellaneous
materials. Of special note among the journals is
(Identify the item), Printed materials, Records, Texas Governor W. Lee O'Daniel. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Records are arranged by type and then in chronological order.