James V. Allred

James V. Allred
Allred in 1937
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
In office
October 13, 1949 – September 24, 1959
Appointed byHarry S. Truman
Preceded bySeat established
Succeeded byReynaldo Guerra Garza
In office
February 23, 1939 – May 14, 1942
Appointed byFranklin D. Roosevelt
Preceded bySeat established
Succeeded byAllen Burroughs Hannay
33rd Governor of Texas
In office
January 15, 1935 – January 17, 1939
LieutenantWalter Frank Woodul
Preceded byMiriam A. Ferguson
Succeeded byW. Lee O'Daniel
35th Attorney General of Texas
In office
January 1931 – January 1935
GovernorRoss S. Sterling
Preceded byRobert L. Bobbitt
Succeeded byWilliam McCraw
Personal details
Born
James Burr V. Allred

(1899-03-29)March 29, 1899
Bowie, Texas, U.S.
DiedSeptember 24, 1959(1959-09-24) (aged 60)
Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Josephine Elizabeth Miller
​
​
(m. 1927)​
Children3
EducationRice University
Cumberland University (LLB)

James V. Allred[a][2] (born James Burr V. Allred; March 29, 1899 – September 24, 1959) was the 33rd governor of Texas. He later served, twice, as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Education and career[edit]

Born on March 29, 1899, in Bowie, Texas, the son of Renne Allred Sr. and Mary Magdalene (Henson), Allred graduated from Bowie High School in 1917.[2] He enrolled at Rice Institute (now Rice University) but withdrew for financial reasons.[2] He then served with the United States Immigration Service.[2] He served in the United States Navy from 1918 to 1919. He received a Bachelor of Laws in 1921 from Cumberland School of Law (then part of Cumberland University, now part of Samford University). He was in private practice in Wichita Falls, Texas from 1921 to 1923 and from 1926 to 1931. He was district attorney in Wichita Falls from 1923 to 1926. He was Attorney General of Texas from 1931 to 1935. He was Governor of Texas from 1935 to 1939.[3] He was an ardent Democrat and supporter of the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.[2]

First district court term[edit]

Allred received a recess appointment to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas on July 11, 1938, but he declined the appointment.[3] He was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 5, 1939, to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, to a new seat authorized by 52 Stat. 584. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 16, 1939, and received his commission on February 23, 1939. His service ended on May 15, 1942, due to his resignation.[3]

Senate run and intervening service[edit]

Allred was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States Senate from Texas in 1942. He then returned to private practice in Houston, Texas, from 1943 to 1949.[3]

Second district court term[edit]

Allred was nominated by President Harry S. Truman on September 23, 1949, to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, to a new seat authorized by 63 Stat. 493. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 12, 1949, and received his commission on October 13, 1949. His service ended with his death on September 24, 1959, in Corpus Christi, Texas.[3]

Honor[edit]

The Allred House in Westmoreland, Houston,[4] where he lived in 1939–1940

James V. Allred Unit, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) state prison for men in Wichita Falls, Texas, is named for Allred.[citation needed]

Personal life[edit]

Allred was related to future U.S. Representative Colin Allred.[5]

Note[edit]

  1. ^ Like the "S" in Harry S. Truman's name, the "V" was Allred's entire middle name, not an abbreviation for a longer name. The Texas State Historical Association and its Handbook of Texas does not put a dot after the "V" in his name for this reason, although most sources do (including sources published during his lifetime), and the Chicago Manual of Style recommends to include the dot after such single-letter names for the sake of consistency.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Use of the Period After the 'S' in Harry S. Truman's Name". Harry S. Truman Library & Museum. The National Archives. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Ewing, Floyd F. (June 9, 2010). "Allred, James Burr V (1899–1959)". Texas State Historical Association.
  3. ^ a b c d e James V. Allred at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  4. ^ "Westmoreland Walking Tour – 200 Emerson (1910)" (PDF). Westmoreland Preservation Alliance. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  5. ^ @ColinAllredTX (April 12, 2024). "When I toured President Lyndon B. Johnson's boyhood home with his daughter Luci, it wasn't the first time an Allred and a Johnson got together to talk about the future of our state. Here is my relative, former Governor of Texas James V. Allred with LBJ and President Franklin Roosevelt" (Tweet). Retrieved April 12, 2024 – via Twitter.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Texas
1934, 1936 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Texas
1935–1939 		Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by
Robert L. Bobbitt
 Attorney General of Texas
1931–1935 		Succeeded by
New seat Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
1939–1942 		Succeeded by
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
1949–1959 		Succeeded by
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