Born in Brown County, Texas, Joe Madison Kilgore (1918-1999) grew up in Rising Star and Mission, Texas, with his parents William Henry and Myrtle Armstrong Kilgore. In the 1930s, he attended Westmoreland College, now Trinity University, in San Antonio, Texas, before entering the University of Texas (UT) Law School. In 1941, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps to serve in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations during World War II. He rose to the rank of major general and earned several commendations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1945, Kilgore returned to the UT Law School and married Jane Redman (b. 1923), with whom he had four children. The next year he began practicing law in Edinburg, Tex. He served as a Democrat in the Texas State House of Representatives (1947-1954) and in the U.S. House of Representatives (1955-1965). He then resumed his law practice at McGinnis, Lochridge, and Kilgore in Austin, Texas.
Governor John Connally appointed Kilgore to the UT Board of Regents (1967-1973), and he worked on several committees and for the University, including the University of Texas Centennial Commission (1980-1983) and Executive Committee of Chancellor’s Council of the University of Texas. Kilgore continued his involvement in politics, working in various appointments, including President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States (1968-1971) and Governor Bill Clements’ Task Force on State Trust and Asset Management (1981). He also served on numerous organizations, such as member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Superconducting Super Collider Authority, director of Texas State Bank in McAllen and of First Republic Bank Corporation, chairman of the Board of Directors of Texas State Bank, later Republic Bank Austin, member of Board of Visitors of the University Cancer Foundation at M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute.
Sources:
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Texas State Cemetery.
Correspondence, sound recordings, motion picture film reels, and photographs comprise the Joe M. Kilgore Papers, 1952-1969, documenting his political career in the Texas State House of Representatives and in the U.S. House of Representatives. A major component of the collection consists of congressional files, primarily composed of correspondence, relating to national politics, current affairs, and Texas politics. The constituency files demonstrate the relationship between Kilgore and his district and describe his contact with individuals, concerning political and government issues. Additionally, the photographs depict many notable national political figures.
Use of audio material by appointment only; please contact sound archivist.
A portion of these papers is stored remotely. Advance notice required for retrieval. Contact repository for retrieval.
Joe M. Kilgore Papers, 1952-1969, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.
Some material has been separated to the Artifacts Collection and to Sound Archives.
This collection was processed by Walter H. Richter, September 1968. Subsequent revisions were made by Brett Carnell, June 1991, Tim Walker, August 1994, David Dibble, August 1998, Evan Usler, August 2011, and Justin Kovar, July 2012.
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