A Guide to the Dolph Briscoe Papers, 1932 (1940-1980), 1999

Biographical Note

Born in Uvalde, Texas in 1923, Dolph Briscoe, Jr. was the son of a self-made cattle rancher and a direct descendant of Andrew Briscoe, an original signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Briscoe graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1942 and subsequently enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II, where he served in the China-Burma-India theater. He married Betty Jane "Janey" Slaughter in 1942 and they had three children. The couple went on to become the largest single landholders in the state of Texas, amassing some 640,000 acres.

In 1949 Dolph Briscoe was elected to the Texas State Legislature at the age of 25 and was a strong proponent of building the state's farm-to-market roads, an important development for rural Texas. He left the legislature in 1957 to devote more time to the family business, becoming one of the state's leading ranchers and president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. In the wake of the infamous Sharpstown scandal, Briscoe was seen as a welcome political outsider with a conservative Democratic agenda that would bring stability to the Texas governorship. He was elected in 1972 and remained governor through the oil-boom years of the 1970s, during which he increased spending for highway improvements, signed into law the Texas Open Records Act, and streamlined state agencies. Briscoe's 1978 reelection bid failed when he was defeated in the primary by Attorney General John Hill.. The Briscoes returned to Uvalde where they remained active in cattle ranching, banking, and philanthropy. Janey Briscoe died in October, 2000.

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, newspaper clippings, financial records, legal documents, printed materials, legislative bills, speeches, reports, press releases, scrapbooks, photographs, audiotapes, and memorabilia, document both the public and private careers of Dolph Briscoe. The papers comprise two major groups: Briscoe's official gubernatorial records (1973-1979); and the business records and personal papers of the Briscoe family, the most significant portion relating to the business and political activities of Dolph Briscoe prior to his election as Governor of Texas. Included in the latter group are correspndence and other materials of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, of which Briscoe was an active member and leader; voluminous political campaign records; and the papers of Janey Slaughter Briscoe from the gubernatorial period.

Restrictions

Use Restrictions

Portions of this collection are stored remotely; advance notice required; contact repository for more information.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Dolph Briscoe Papers, 1932 (1940-1980) 1999, Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin

Detailed Description of the Collection