urn:taro:utexas.cah.02324 A Guide to the Benjamin Grady Oneal Papers, 1905-1961 Original EAD encoding by Lauren Algee according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. February 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Oneal, Benjamin Grady, 1874-1960 Oneal, Benjamin Grady, Papers 1905-1961 Materials are written in English. 61-32; 61-37; 71-32 1 ft., 8 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Correspondence, a speech, and a resolution compose the Benjamin Grady Oneal Papers, 1905-1961, documenting his life and work as an attorney and state senator. Biographical Note

Born in Grenada, Mississippi, lawyer, legislator, and historical preservationist Benjamin Grady Oneal (1874-1960) moved to Breckenridge, Texas, with his parents at the age of four. He attended the University of Texas; Peabody Normal College in Nashville, Tennessee; and the University of Texas Law School, from which he graduated in 1906. Oneal and his wife Cora Maud (Norton) taught school in Weatherford, Texas, before Oneal began a law practice with Frederick G. “Fritz” Lanham. In 1916, the couple moved to Wichita Falls, where Oneal continued to practice law and was elected to the State Senate in 1930. Serving from 1931 to 1936, he supported larger appropriations for public schools and wildlife conservation and secured passage of the Oneal Amendment No. 1 to the Texas Centennial Bill of 1935, which provided for historical markers, preservation of historic buildings, and monuments to early Texas patriots. Oneal was also active in the preservation and restoration of Fort Belknap.

Source:

Lentz, Lamar. “Oneal, Benjamin Grady.” Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed February 17, 2011.

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, a speech, and a resolution compose the Benjamin Grady Oneal Papers, 1905-1961, documenting his life and work as an attorney and state senator. Correspondence concerns Oneal’s business and personal interests, including his activities as an attorney with the firms of Lanham and Oneal (1906) and Martin and Oneal (1916), chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee of Parker County, referee in bankruptcy for the Wichita Falls Division of the U.S. District Court for Northern Texas (1921), Texas state senator (1930-1938), a member of the Texas State Board of Education (1939-1945), and a promoter of Texas game and fish conservation (1910-1937). Additionally, the collection contains a speech by Oneal on the restoration of Fort Belknap and a 1961 Senate resolution passed in his memory.

 Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Oneal, Benjamin Grady, 1874-1960 -- Archives. Subjects (Organizations) Lanham and Oneal Martin and Oneal Texas. Legislature. Senate -- History -- 20th century Texas. State Board of Education -- History -- 20th century United States. District Court (Texas : Northern District) -- History -- 20th century Subjects Legislators -- Texas -- History -- 20th century Wildlife conservation -- History -- 20th century Places Fort Belknap (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century Parker County (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century Parker County (Tex.) -- Politics and government -- 20th century Wichita Falls (Tex.) -- History -- 20th century Preferred Citation

Benjamin Grady Oneal Papers, 1905-1961, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Processing Information

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project, 2009-2011.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory: 2N195 Correspondence: 2N195 1905-1915 2N195 1924-1927 2N196 1928-1929 2N197 1930-1932 2N198 1932-1941 2N198 Speech by Senator Oneal, "A Brief Story of the Restoration of Fort Belknap," ca. 1934 2N198 Texas Senate Resolution No. 148 in memory of Senator Benjamin G. Oneal, 1961