Jack Hightower

Full Name: Jack English Hightower
Date of birth: September 6, 1926
Date of death: August 3, 2013

Terms of Service
Biographical Notes
Committee Information
Legislation

Terms of Service top

Chamber	District	Dates of Service	Legislatures	Party	City/County	Note	Counties in District
S	30	Jan 9, 1973 - Jan 14, 1975	63rd ⁽¹⁾	Democrat	Vernon / Wilbarger		Archer, Baylor, Briscoe, Callahan, Childress, Clay, Cottle, Dickens, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Hale, Hall, Hardeman, Haskell, Howard, Jones, Kent, King, Knox, Mitchell, Motley, Nolan, Scurry, Shackelford, Stonewall, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger
S	30	Jan 12, 1971 - Jan 9, 1973	62nd ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾	Democrat	Vernon / Wilbarger	Senate President Pro Tempore (62nd)	Archer, Bailey, Baylor, Briscoe, Castro, Childress, Cottle, Dickens, Floyd, Foard, Hale, Hall, Hardeman, King, Knox, Lamb, Motley, Parmer, Swisher, Wichita, Wilbarger
S	30	Jan 10, 1967 - Jan 12, 1971	60th ⁽⁴⁾ 61st	Democrat	Vernon / Wilbarger		Archer, Bailey, Baylor, Briscoe, Castro, Childress, Cottle, Dickens, Floyd, Foard, Hale, Hall, Hardeman, King, Knox, Lamb, Motley, Parmer, Swisher, Wichita, Wilbarger
S	23	Jan 12, 1965 - Jan 10, 1967	59th ⁽⁵⁾	Democrat	Vernon / Wilbarger		Archer, Baylor, Cottle, Dickens, Foard, Hardeman, King, Knox, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Young
H	82	Jan 13, 1953 - Jan 11, 1955	53rd	Democrat	Vernon / Wilbarger		Cottle, Foard, Hardeman, Wilbarger

(1) 63rd Legislature - Drawing for Terms of Office, 1/10/1973, pp. 12-13. Drew 2-year term. Senate Journal.
(2) 62nd Legislature - Senate President Pro Tempore, Regular Session, elected 1/12/1971. Senate Journal.
(3) 2-year term; entire Senate went up for reelection in 1972 due to redistricting. Texas Constitution Art. III, §3, Election and term of office of Senators.
(4) 60th Legislature - Drawing for Terms of Office, 1/11/1967, p. 19. Drew 4-year term. Senate Journal.
(5) 2-year term; entire Senate went up for reelection in 1966 due to redistricting. Reapportionment of Senate districts occurred in the 59th Legislature, Regular Session (1965), ch. 324 (SB 547). Texas Constitution Art. III, §3, Election and term of office of Senators.

Terms of Service top

Senate District 30
Jan 9, 1973 - Jan 14, 1975
Legislatures: 63rd ⁽¹⁾
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Vernon / Wilbarger
Counties in district: Archer, Baylor, Briscoe, Callahan, Childress, Clay, Cottle, Dickens, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Hale, Hall, Hardeman, Haskell, Howard, Jones, Kent, King, Knox, Mitchell, Motley, Nolan, Scurry, Shackelford, Stonewall, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger

Senate District 30
Jan 12, 1971 - Jan 9, 1973
Legislatures: 62nd ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾
Senate President Pro Tempore (62nd)
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Vernon / Wilbarger
Counties in district: Archer, Bailey, Baylor, Briscoe, Castro, Childress, Cottle, Dickens, Floyd, Foard, Hale, Hall, Hardeman, King, Knox, Lamb, Motley, Parmer, Swisher, Wichita, Wilbarger

Senate District 30
Jan 10, 1967 - Jan 12, 1971
Legislatures: 60th ⁽⁴⁾ 61st
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Vernon / Wilbarger
Counties in district: Archer, Bailey, Baylor, Briscoe, Castro, Childress, Cottle, Dickens, Floyd, Foard, Hale, Hall, Hardeman, King, Knox, Lamb, Motley, Parmer, Swisher, Wichita, Wilbarger

Senate District 23
Jan 12, 1965 - Jan 10, 1967
Legislatures: 59th ⁽⁵⁾
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Vernon / Wilbarger
Counties in district: Archer, Baylor, Cottle, Dickens, Foard, Hardeman, King, Knox, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Young

House District 82
Jan 13, 1953 - Jan 11, 1955
Legislatures: 53rd
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Vernon / Wilbarger
Counties in district: Cottle, Foard, Hardeman, Wilbarger

Biographical Information top

Selected newspaper articles

Resolutions and Journal entries

83rd Legislature, 3rd C.S. - Representatives move that the House stand adjourned in memory of the Honorable Jack Hightower of Vernon and the Honorable Lois DeBerry of Tennessee. House Journal.
56th Legislature, 2nd C.S., SR 66, named one of outstanding District Attorneys for the year 1959 by Texas Law Enforcement Foundation. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
61st Legislature, 2nd C.S., SR 38. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
62nd Legislature, 2nd C.S., SCR 5, highest office in Texas Masonry, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
62nd Legislature, R.S., SR 117, Capitol building renovation. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
63rd Legislature, R.S., SR 931. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
74th Legislature, R.S., HR 472, retirement. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
83rd Legislature, 3rd C.S. - Senate welcomes the daughters of the late Honorable Jack Hightower; Senators Watson, Duncan, and Seliger offers remarks on his death; and the Senate adjourns sine die in his honor. Senate Journal.

Biographical Sketches

Special Governor Hightower Edition, April 1, 1971, pp. 1-8. Quanah Tribune-Chief. Content provided with permission of the Quanah Tribune-Chief.
Biographical sketch and photo. Senate Biographies, 63rd Legislature, 1973.
Memorial biographical sketch and photo. A State of Remembrance, 2015.
Hightower, Jack English. Texas State Cemetery.

Military Service Notes

United States Navy, World War II, 1944-1946. Biography, U.S. Navy: "Jack Hightower graduated from Memphis High School in Memphis, Texas in May 1944. He went directly to Baylor University and immediately enrolled in the summer term. In September of 1944, Hightower turned 18 and chose to leave Baylor University and join the United States Navy. He was sent to San Diego California for basic training and yeomen school. Hightower was later sent to work in San Francisco and was in the balcony of the Opera House when the charter creating the United Nations was signed." Baylor University.
United States Navy. Photo and salute. With Honor and Gratitude: A Special Thank You to Our Texas Senate Members Who Served Our Country, 2017.

Other Resources

Jack English Hightower Collection. Baylor Collections of Political Materials, W.R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University. Finding Aid
Delegate to the Texas Constitutional Convention, 1974. Record of Proceedings, Texas Constitutional Convention: Official Journals, January 8 - July 30, 1974, 1975.
HIGHTOWER, Jack English (1926-2013). Representative, TX. Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress.

Texas Monthly's Best and Worst Legislators

Named 'Honorable Mention'. Best and Worst Legislators 1973.

Photographs

Photograph. Jack Hightower, 63rd Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Jack Hightower, 62nd Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Jack Hightower, 61st Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Jack Hightower, 60th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Jack Hightower, 59th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Jack E. Hightower, 53rd Legislature, State Preservation Board

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

59th session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.
60th session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.
61st session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.
62nd session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.
63rd session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.
53rd session composite photo of House members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GW.C1). State Preservation Board.

Committee Information top

63rd R.S. - 1973 Administration (Chair) Administration Subcommittee on Rules Constitutional Convention Planning Finance Natural Resources Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water
62nd R.S. - 1971 Administration (Chair) Administration Agriculture and Drought Disaster Relief, Special Agriculture and Livestock Consumer Protection County, District and Urban Affairs Education Finance Jurisprudence Legislative, Congressional and Judicial Districts Medical Costs, Interim Natural Resources Oil and Gas Poet Laureate Selection, Special Privileges and Elections Problems of Youth, Interim Rules (Vice Chair) Rules of the Senate (Vice Chair) State Affairs Water and Conservation Youth Affairs (Chair)
61st R.S. - 1969 Agriculture and Livestock Attraction of New Industry Automatic Data Processing Automobile Insurance Rates Claims Constitutional Amendments (Vice Chair) Consumer Protection Contingent Expense (Chair) Corporate Farming, Livestock Feeding and Ranching Operations Delinquent Ad Valorem Tax Education Finance Jurisprudence Livestock Marking and Branding Motion Picture Theater Industry Oil and Gas State Affairs State and Local Tax Policy Transportation Water and Conservation Youth Affairs
60th R.S. - 1967 Agriculture and Livestock Contingent Expenses (Chair) Counties, Cities, and Towns Depuration of Oysters and Other Shellfish Finance Game and Fish (Chair) Insurance Labor and Management Relations Legislative, Congressional and Judicial Districts Oil and Gas Placement of Lieutenant Governors' Portraits Portrait of General William C. Westmoreland Texas Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice Water and Conservation
59th R.S. - 1965 Agriculture and Livestock Contingent Expense Counties, Cities and Towns Election Law Finance Insurance Labor and Management Relations (Chair) Legislative, Congressional and Judicial Districts Military and Veterans Affairs Nursing Profession Oil and Gas State Affairs Water and Conservation
53rd R.S. - 1953 Banks and Banking Education Federal Relations Public Lands and Buildings State Affairs

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