Benjamin Franklin Looney

Full Name: Benjamin Franklin "Ben" Looney
Date of birth: September 19, 1859
Date of death: May 25, 1951

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
H	33	Jul 26, 1910 - Jan 10, 1911	31st ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾	Democrat	Greenville / Hunt		Hunt
S	5	Jan 10, 1905 - Jan 12, 1909	30th ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾ 29th ⁽⁶⁾ 30th ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾	Democrat	Greenville / Hunt	Senate President Pro Tempore (30th)	Collin, Hunt, Rains

(1) "Forecast of 32d Legislature: List of Democratic Nominees for Senate and House of Representatives: Elected for the Vacancies: Fifteen New Members of the Thirty-first are Chosen, Three of Them Senators," 8/6/1910, p. 11. Galveston Daily News.
(2) 31st Legislature, 3rd C.S. - Oath of office administered to B.F. Looney of Hunt county, elected to fill vacancy caused by resignation of R.E. Westbrooke; and Leonard Tillotson of Austin county, elected to fill vacancy caused by resignation of W.A. Trenckmann, 7/26/1910, pp. 22-23. House Journal.
(3) Benjamin F. Looney, sworn 7/26/1910, succeeded Richard E. Westbrook, resigned 12/3/1909. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.
(4) 30th Legislature - Senate President Pro Tempore, elected 5/11/1907, 1st C.S. Senate Journal.
(5) 30th Legislature - Roll of holdover Senators, 1/8/1907, pp. 1-2. Senate Journal.
(6) 29th Legislature - Roll of Senators-elect, oath of office administered, 1/10/1905, pp. 1-2. Senate Journal.

Terms of Service top

House District 33
Jul 26, 1910 - Jan 10, 1911
Legislatures: 31st ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Greenville / Hunt
Counties in district: Hunt

Senate District 5
Jan 10, 1905 - Jan 12, 1909
Legislatures: 30th ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾ 29th ⁽⁶⁾ 30th ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾
Senate President Pro Tempore (30th)
(30th)
(30th)
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Greenville / Hunt
Counties in district: Collin, Hunt, Rains

Biographical Information top

Resolutions and Journal entries

52nd Legislature, R.S., HSR 256, 5/30/1951, p. 2941. Resolutions - Memorial.

Biographical Sketches

Memorial, September 1951, p. 566. "Judge Looney was always affiliated with the Democratic party." Texas Bar Journal.

Other Resources

Obituary and photo, "Ben F. Looney, 91, Texas Jurist, Dies," 5/26/1951, part II, p. 3. "Looney was the author of the first anti-free pass law, the anti-nepotism law, the one-board medical practice act . . . ; the search and seizure law which furnished valuable aid in enforcing local prohibition. He was was author of the amendment to a bill that added the felony feature to the gambling code of the state, which practically wiped out open gambling in the state." Dallas Morning News.
Ben F. Looney, birth date 9/19/1859 in Louisiana; death date 5/25/1951 in Dallas, Dallas County, Texas; retired judge. FamilySearch Texas Deaths, 1890-1977.
Ben F. Looney (1859-1951), burial in East Mount Cemetery, Greenville, Hunt County. Includes portrait; obituary and funeral notice from Greenville Evening Banner, 5/25/1951 and 5/27/1951. Find a Grave.
Attended Democratic State Convention in 1906 (Committee on Platforms and Resolutions), State Prohibition Mass Convention in 1910 (Committee on Resolutions), Democratic State Conventions in 1912, 1914, and 1916 (Nominee for Attorney General), pp. 492, 543, 576, 606, and 634. Platforms of Political Parties in Texas, 1916.

Photographs

Photograph. B.F. Looney, 31st Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. B.F. Looney, 30th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. B.F. Looney, 29th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. B.F. Looney, Texas Jurists Collection
Photograph. B.F. Looney, Texas Jurists Collection

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

29th session composite photo of Senate members (Senate chamber gallery, east wall. 3E.5). State Preservation Board.
30th session composite photo of Senate members (Senate chamber gallery, east wall. 3E.5). State Preservation Board.
31st session composite photo of House members (House chamber gallery, north wall. 3W.2). State Preservation Board.

Committee Information top

31st 1st C.S. - 1909 Common Carriers Constitutional Amendments Criminal Jurisprudence Judiciary Privileges, Suffrage, and Elections Reforms in Civil and Criminal Procedure (Chair) Revenue and Taxation
30th R.S. - 1907 Agricultural Affairs Constitutional Amendments Contingent Expenses Insurance, Statistics and History Internal Improvements Judiciary No. 2 (Chair) Public Debts, Claims and Accounts Public Printing Rules Treasurer's and Comptroller's Departments
29th R.S. - 1905 Constitutional Amendments Contingent Expenses Engrossed Bills Judicial Districts Judiciary No. 2 Privileges and Elections (Chair) Public Land and Land Office State Affairs Treasurer and Comptroller's Department

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