PoliticalGraveyard.com
The Political Graveyard: A Database of American History
Knights of Pythias
Politician members in Texas

  William Hawley Atwell (1869-1961) — also known as William H. Atwell — of Dallas, Dallas County, Tex. Born in Sparta, Monroe County, Wis., June 9, 1869. Republican. Lawyer; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, 1898-1913; candidate for Governor of Texas, 1922; U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas, 1923-54; took senior status 1954. Methodist. Member, Elks; American Bar Association; Freemasons; Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias; Redmen. Died December 22, 1961 (age 92 years, 196 days). Interment at Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of Capt. Benjamin D. Atwell and De Emma (Greene) Atwell; married, December 7, 1892, to Susie Snyder.
  Clinton S. Bailey (b. 1890) — of Dallas, Dallas County, Tex. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., June 14, 1890. Republican. Lawyer; served in the U.S. Army during World War I; secretary of Texas Republican Party, 1923-24; candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 5th District, 1926, 1930. Methodist. Member, American Bar Association; Sons of the American Revolution; Phi Gamma Delta; Theta Nu Epsilon; American Legion; Knights of Pythias; Elks. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of James Cornelius Bailey and Erminnie (Campbell) Bailey; married to Alice Mae Nicholson.
  Byron L. Ballard (b. 1890) — of Lansing, Ingham County, Mich. Born in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Tex., February 21, 1890. Democrat. Lawyer; law partner of Charles H. Hayden, 1917-30, and of Edmund C. Shields, 1931; chair of Ingham County Democratic Party, 1920-24; candidate for Michigan state senate 14th District, 1926; treasurer of Michigan Democratic Party, 1937; charged on July 20, 1946 (along with 18 other legislators) with accepting bribes to vote against a banking bill, but the entire case collapsed when the star prosecution witness, Charles F. Hemans, refused to testify. Episcopalian. Member, American Bar Association; Rotary; Knights of Pythias; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Elks; Sigma Phi Epsilon. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Walter Elgin Ballard and Jennie (Peden) Ballard; married, February 16, 1916, to M. Lucille Juzek.
  Thomas Lindsay Blanton (1872-1957) — also known as Thomas L. Blanton — of Abilene, Taylor County, Tex. Born in Houston, Harris County, Tex., October 25, 1872. Democrat. Lawyer; district judge in Texas 42nd District, 1908-16; U.S. Representative from Texas, 1917-29, 1930-37 (16th District 1917-19, 17th District 1919-29, 1930-37). Presbyterian. Member, Knights of Pythias; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners; Odd Fellows; Woodmen. Censured in 1921 for inserting a letter into the Congressional Record which contained words said to be "unspeakable, vile, foul, filthy, profane, blasphemous and obscene." A motion to expel him from the House of Representatives failed by eight votes. Indicted in 1923 for criminal libel over his claim that former U.S. Rep. Oscar Callaway had urged his frends not to buy Liberty bonds during World War I. Died in Albany, Shackelford County, Tex., August 11, 1957 (age 84 years, 290 days). Interment at Albany Cemetery, Albany, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of Thomas Lindsay Blanton ; brother of Annie Webb Blanton; married to May Louise Matthews.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article
  Vincent Waggoner Carr (1918-2004) — also known as Waggoner Carr — of Lubbock County, Tex. Born in Fairlie, Hunt County, Tex., October 1, 1918. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II; lawyer; Lubbock County Attorney, 1948-50; member of Texas state house of representatives, 1951-61; Speaker of the Texas State House of Representatives, 1957-61; Texas state attorney general, 1963-67; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1964; candidate for U.S. Senator from Texas, 1966; candidate for Governor of Texas, 1968. Member, American Legion; Freemasons; Knights of Pythias; Lions. Breakfasted with Pres. John F. Kennedy, in Dallas, Texas, on the morning of his assassination, November 22, 1963. Died, of cancer, in Austin, Travis County, Tex., February 25, 2004 (age 85 years, 147 days). Interment at Texas State Cemetery, Austin, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of Vincent Carr and Ruth (Warlick) Carr; married, December 21, 1941, to Ernestine Story.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
  Thomas Terry Connally (1877-1963) — also known as Tom T. Connally — of Marlin, Falls County, Tex. Born near Hewitt, McLennan County, Tex., August 19, 1877. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War; lawyer; member of Texas state house of representatives, 1901-04; Falls County Prosecuting Attorney, 1906-10; U.S. Representative from Texas 11th District, 1917-29; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1920, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944 (chair, Committee to Notify Vice-Presidential Nominee; speaker), 1948, 1956; U.S. Senator from Texas, 1929-53. Methodist. Member, Knights of Pythias; Freemasons; Odd Fellows; Woodmen of the World; Modern Woodmen. Died in Washington, D.C., October 28, 1963 (age 86 years, 70 days). Interment at Calvary Cemetery, Marlin, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of Jones Connally and Mary Ellen (Terry) Connally; married, November 16, 1904, to Louise Clarkson; married, April 25, 1942, to Lucile (Sanderson) Sheppard (widow of John Morris Sheppard); step-grandfather of Richard Sheppard Arnold, Connie Mack III and Morris Sheppard Arnold; step-great-grandfather of Connie Mack IV.
  Political family: Sheppard-Arnold family of Texarkana, Texas.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Norris Wright Cuney (1846-1898) — also known as N. W. Cuney — of Galveston, Galveston County, Tex. Born near Hempstead, Waller County, Tex., May 12, 1846. Republican. Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1872, 1876, 1880, 1884, 1888, 1892; secretary of Texas Republican Party, 1873; candidate for mayor of Galveston, Tex., 1875; candidate for Texas state house of representatives, 1876; candidate for Texas state senate, 1882; member of Republican National Committee from Texas, 1886; U.S. Collector of Customs, 1889-91. African ancestry. Member, Freemasons; Knights of Pythias; Odd Fellows. Died in San Antonio, Bexar County, Tex., March 3, 1898 (age 51 years, 295 days). Interment at Lakeview Cemetery, Galveston, Tex.
  Calvin Maples Cureton (b. 1874) — of Meridian, Bosque County, Tex. Born near Walnut Springs, Bosque County, Tex., September 1, 1874. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War; lawyer; member of Texas state house of representatives, 1909-12; Texas state attorney general, 1919-21; chief justice of Texas state supreme court, 1921-36. Member, American Bar Association; Knights of Pythias. Interment at Texas State Cemetery, Austin, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of William E. Cureton and Mary (Odle) Cureton; married, April 28, 1901, to Nora Morris.
  Ovie Clark Fisher (1903-1994) — also known as O. Clark Fisher — of San Angelo, Tom Green County, Tex. Born in Junction, Kimble County, Tex., November 22, 1903. Democrat. Lawyer; member of Texas state house of representatives, 1935-37; U.S. Representative from Texas 21st District, 1943-75. Member, Freemasons; Order of the Eastern Star; Knights of Pythias; Rotary; Acacia. Died December 9, 1994 (age 91 years, 17 days). Interment at Junction Cemetery, Junction, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of Jobe B. Fisher and Rhoda (Clark) Fisher; married, September 12, 1927, to Marian DeWalsh.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  James Taliaferro Garrett (1865-1962) — also known as J. T. Garrett — of Hurricane, Putnam County, W.Va. Born in Putnam County, W.Va., October 9, 1865. School teacher; insurance business; member of West Virginia state senate 5th District, 1933-36. Baptist. Member, Sons of the American Revolution; Freemasons; Order of the Eastern Star; Shriners; Knights of Pythias. Died in Dallas, Dallas County, Tex., May 24, 1962 (age 96 years, 227 days). Cremated; ashes interred at Hurricane Cemetery, Hurricane, W.Va.
  Relatives: Son of John H. Garrett and Martha (Hill) Garrett; married, February 26, 1896, to Emma Ottale Dudding.
  See also Find-A-Grave memorial
Thomas P. Gore Thomas Pryor Gore (1870-1949) — also known as Thomas P. Gore — of Texas; Lawton, Comanche County, Okla.; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Okla. Born near Embry, Webster County, Miss., December 10, 1870. Democrat. Lawyer; candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas, 1898; member Oklahoma territorial council, 1903-05; U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, 1907-21, 1931-37; defeated, 1920, 1936; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1912 (speaker), 1928; member of Democratic National Committee from Oklahoma, 1912-16. Member, Knights of Pythias; Moose; Woodmen; Elks. Blind due to an accident suffered when he was a boy; first blind member of the U.S. Senate. Died March 16, 1949 (age 78 years, 96 days). Originally entombed at Rose Hill Burial Park, Oklahoma City, Okla.; later interred in 1949 at Fairlawn Cemetery, Oklahoma City, Okla.
  Relatives: Son of Tom M. Gore and Carrie E. (Wingo) Gore; married, December 27, 1900, to Nina Kay; father of Nina Gore Auchincloss (who married Hugh Dudley Auchincloss); grandfather of Eugene Luther Gore Vidal Jr..
  Political family: Kennedy family.
  The town of Gore, Oklahoma, is named for him.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — NNDB dossier — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: Library of Congress
  Jed Joseph Johnson (1888-1963) — also known as Jed Johnson — of Anadarko, Caddo County, Okla. Born near Waxahachie, Ellis County, Tex., July 31, 1888. Democrat. Served in the U.S. Army during World War I; mail carrier; lawyer; newspaper editor; member of Oklahoma state senate, 1920-27, 1925-26 (17th District 1920-27, 15th District 1925-26); U.S. Representative from Oklahoma 6th District, 1927-47; federal judge, 1947. Baptist. Member, American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars; Freemasons; Knights of Pythias; Modern Woodmen of America; Lions. Died May 8, 1963 (age 74 years, 281 days). Interment at Rose Hill Cemetery, Chickasha, Okla.
  Relatives: Son of La Fayette D. Johnson and Evalyn (Carlin) Johnson; married, May 16, 1925, to Beatrice Luginbyhl; father of Jed Joseph Johnson Jr..
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  William Mahoney (1869-1952) — of Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kan.; Galveston, Galveston County, Tex.; Nashville, Davidson County, Tenn.; Indianapolis, Marion County, Ind.; Terre Haute, Vigo County, Ind.; St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minn. Born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., January 13, 1869. Pressman; labor leader; Socialist candidate for U.S. Representative from Indiana 5th District, 1904; candidate for Presidential Elector for Minnesota; founder and editor, Minnesota Union Advocate newspaper, 1920-32; mayor of St. Paul, Minn., 1932-34; Farmer-Labor candidate for U.S. Representative from Minnesota 4th District, 1943. Catholic. Irish ancestry. Member, Knights of Pythias. Died in St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minn., August 17, 1952 (age 83 years, 217 days). Interment at Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minn.
  See also Wikipedia article
  Daniel James Moody Jr. (1893-1966) — also known as Dan Moody — of Taylor, Williamson County, Tex. Born in Taylor, Williamson County, Tex., June 1, 1893. Democrat. Lawyer; served in the U.S. Army during World War I; Williamson County Attorney, 1920-22; District Attorney, 1922-25; Texas state attorney general, 1925-27; Governor of Texas, 1927-31; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1928, 1944 (member, Platform and Resolutions Committee), 1948, 1952; candidate for U.S. Senator from Texas, 1942. Member, Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias; Freemasons; Knights Templar; Shriners. Died in Austin, Travis County, Tex., May 22, 1966 (age 72 years, 355 days). Interment at Texas State Cemetery, Austin, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of Daniel Moody and Nanny E. (Robertson) Moody; married, April 20, 1926, to Mildred Paxton.
  See also National Governors Association biography — OurCampaigns candidate detail
  Allen Francis Moore (1869-1945) — also known as Allen F. Moore — of Monticello, Piatt County, Ill. Born in St. Charles, Kane County, Ill., September 30, 1869. Republican. President, Pepsin Syrup Company (patent medicine); vice-president, Moore State Bank; mayor of Monticello, Ill., 1901-03; University of Illinois trustee; elected 1908; U.S. Representative from Illinois 19th District, 1921-25; delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1924, 1932; member of Republican National Committee from Illinois, 1925. Universalist. Member, Freemasons; Knights of Pythias; Elks. Died in San Antonio, Bexar County, Tex., August 15, 1945 (age 75 years, 319 days). Interment at Monticello Cemetery, Monticello, Ill.
  Relatives: Son of Henry Van Rensallaer Moore and Alzina W. (Freeman) Moore; married, March 20, 1895, to Madora Bradford.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
  Patrick Morris Neff (1871-1952) — also known as Pat Morris Neff — of Waco, McLennan County, Tex. Born in McGregor, McLennan County, Tex., November 26, 1871. Democrat. Lawyer; member of Texas state house of representatives, 1901-05; Speaker of the Texas State House of Representatives, 1903-05; McLennan County Prosecuting Attorney, 1906-12; Governor of Texas, 1921-25; president of Baylor University, from 1932; delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1940. Baptist. Member, Knights of Pythias; Freemasons; Shriners; Rotary; Anti-Saloon League; Lions. Died January 20, 1952 (age 80 years, 55 days). Interment at Oakwood Cemetery, Waco, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of Noah Neff and Isabella (Shepherd) Neff; married, May 31, 1899, to Myrtle Mainer.
  See also National Governors Association biography
  James Ivey Phelps (b. 1875) — also known as James I. Phelps — of El Reno, Canadian County, Okla.; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Okla. Born in Newton, Newton County, Tex., June 20, 1875. Democrat. Lawyer; Canadian County Judge, 1901-07; district judge in Oklahoma 13th District, 1919-25; justice of Oklahoma state supreme court, 1925-29, 1935. Disciples of Christ. Member, American Bar Association; Freemasons; Order of the Eastern Star; Knights Templar; Shriners; Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias; Woodmen; Kiwanis. Burial location unknown.
  Relatives: Son of Elza V. M. Phelps and Mary A. (Simmons) Phelps; married, February 1, 1903, to Lydia B. Malcom.
  Choice Boswell Randell (1857-1945) — also known as Choice B. Randell — of Sherman, Grayson County, Tex. Born near Spring Place, Murray County, Ga., January 1, 1857. Democrat. U.S. Representative from Texas, 1901-13 (5th District 1901-03, 4th District 1903-13). Presbyterian. Member, Freemasons; Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias. Died in Sherman, Grayson County, Tex., October 19, 1945 (age 88 years, 291 days). Interment at West Hill Cemetery, Sherman, Tex.
  Relatives: Nephew of Lucius Jeremiah Gartrell.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page
E. Mont Reily Emmet Montgomery Reily (1866-1954) — also known as E. Mont Reily; "Moncho Reyes" — of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Tex.; Kansas City, Jackson County, Mo. Born in Sedalia, Pettis County, Mo., October 21, 1866. Republican. Newspaper editor; Governor of Puerto Rico, 1921-23. Presbyterian. Member, Knights of Pythias. Died in Jackson County, Mo., October 31, 1954 (age 88 years, 10 days). Interment at Forest Hill Cemetery, Kansas City, Mo.
  Relatives: Son of John Gamble Reily and Sarah Ann (Guy) Reily; married, August 22, 1893, to Minnie Mountfortt.
  See also Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  Image source: Library of Congress
  John Morris Sheppard (1875-1941) — also known as Morris Sheppard — of Texarkana, Bowie County, Tex. Born in Wheatville, Morris County, Tex., May 28, 1875. Democrat. Lawyer; U.S. Representative from Texas, 1902-13 (4th District 1902-03, 1st District 1903-13); U.S. Senator from Texas, 1913-41; died in office 1941. Methodist. Member, Woodmen of the World; Freemasons; Odd Fellows; Redmen; Elks; Knights of Pythias; Kappa Alpha Order; Phi Beta Kappa. Died, from a brain hemorrhage, in Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, D.C., April 9, 1941 (age 65 years, 316 days). Interment at Hillcrest Cemetery, Texarkana, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of John Levi Sheppard and Margaret Alice (Eddins) Sheppard; married, December 1, 1909, to Lucile Ferguson Sanderson (who later married Thomas Terry Connally); grandfather of Richard Sheppard Arnold, Connie Mack III and Morris Sheppard Arnold; great-grandfather of Connie Mack IV.
  Political family: Sheppard-Arnold family of Texarkana, Texas.
  Sheppard Air Force Base (opened 1941 as Sheppard Field; runways are shared with the Wichita Falls Regional Airport), in Wichita County, Texas, is named for him.
  See also congressional biography — Govtrack.us page — Wikipedia article — Find-A-Grave memorial
  L. B. Snyder (1893-1964) — of New Martinsville, Wetzel County, W.Va. Born in Glovers Gap, Marion County, W.Va., October 24, 1893. Democrat. Wetzel County Sheriff, 1929-32; business executive; member of West Virginia state senate 2nd District, 1937-40; defeated, 1940. Member, Freemasons; Scottish Rite Masons; Shriners; Elks; Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias; Moose. Died in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Tex., January 16, 1964 (age 70 years, 84 days). Interment at Memory Gardens Cemetery, Corpus Christi, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of H. C. Snyder and Mary A. (Murray) Snyder.
  Jacob Franklin Spears, Sr. (1899-1946) — also known as J. Franklin Spears — of Tarpon Springs, Pinellas County, Fla.; San Antonio, Bexar County, Tex. Born in Darlington County, S.C., October 6, 1899. Colonel in the U.S. Army during World War I; mayor of Tarpon Springs, Fla., 1921; member of Texas state house of representatives, 1934-36; member of Texas state senate, 1937-46. Member, Freemasons; Knights of Pythias; Elks; Eagles; Redmen; Odd Fellows. Died, from a heart attack, in San Antonio, Bexar County, Tex., May 29, 1946 (age 46 years, 235 days). Interment at Mission Burial Park South, San Antonio, Tex.
  Relatives: Son of James Monroe Spears.
"Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872
The Political Graveyard

The Political Graveyard is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries. Founded in 1996, it is the Internet's most comprehensive free source for American political biography, listing 320,919 politicians, living and dead.
 
  The coverage of this site includes (1) the President, Vice President, members of Congress, elected state and territorial officeholders in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories; and the chief elected official, typically the mayor, of qualifying municipalities; (2) candidates at election, including primaries, for any of the above; (3) all federal judges and all state appellate judges; (4) certain federal officials, including the federal cabinet, diplomatic chiefs of mission, consuls, U.S. district attorneys, collectors of customs and internal revenue, members of major federal commissions; and political appointee (pre-1969) postmasters of qualifying communities; (5) state and national political party officials, including delegates, alternate delegates, and other participants in national party nominating conventions; (6) Americans who served as "honorary" consuls for other nations before 1950. Note: municipalities or communities "qualify", for Political Graveyard purposes, if they have at least half a million person-years of history, inclusive of predecessor, successor, and merged entities.  
  The listings are incomplete; development of the database is a continually ongoing project.  
  Information on this page — and on all other pages of this site — is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. Users are advised to check with other sources before relying on any information here.  
  The official URL for this page is: https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/TX/knights-pythias.html.  
  Links to this or any other Political Graveyard page are welcome, but specific page addresses may sometimes change as the site develops.  
  If you are searching for a specific named individual, try the alphabetical index of politicians.  
Copyright notices: (1) Facts are not subject to copyright; see Feist v. Rural Telephone. (2) Politician portraits displayed on this site are 70-pixel-wide monochrome thumbnail images, which I believe to constitute fair use under applicable copyright law. Where possible, each image is linked to its online source. However, requests from owners of copyrighted images to delete them from this site are honored. (3) Original material, programming, selection and arrangement are © 1996-2023 Lawrence Kestenbaum. (4) This work is also licensed for free non-commercial re-use, with attribution, under a Creative Commons License.
Site information: The Political Graveyard is created and maintained by Lawrence Kestenbaum, who is solely responsible for its structure and content. — The mailing address is The Political Graveyard, P.O. Box 2563, Ann Arbor MI 48106. — This site is hosted by HDL. — The Political Graveyard opened on July 1, 1996; the last full revision was done on March 8, 2023.

Creative 
Commons License Follow polgraveyard on Twitter [Amazon.com]