The House Will Come to Order: How the Texas Speaker Became a Power in State and National Politics

by Patrick L. Cox, Michael Phillips

Overview

In a state assumed to have a constitutionally weak governor, the Speaker of the Texas House wields enormous power, with the ability to almost single-handedly dictate the legislative agenda. The House Will Come to Order charts the evolution of the Speaker's role from a relatively obscure office to one of the most powerful in the state. This fascinating account, drawn from the Briscoe Center's oral history project on the former Speakers, is the story of transition, modernization, and power struggles. Weaving a compelling story of scandal, service, and opportunity, Patrick Cox and Michael Phillips describe the divisions within the traditional Democratic Party, the ascendance of Republicans, and how Texas business, agriculture, and media shaped perceptions of officeholders. While the governor and lieutenant governor wielded their power, the authors show how the modern Texas House Speaker built an office of equal power as the state became more complex and diverse. The authors also explore how race, class, and gender affected this transition as they explain the importance of the office in Texas and the impact the state's Speakers have had on national politics. At the apex of its power, the Texas House Speaker's role at last receives the critical consideration it deserves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780292793064
Publisher:	University of Texas Press
Publication date:	05/31/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Patrick L. Cox served as the Associate Director of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin and is now an independent scholar, contributing to National Public Radio and other media.

Michael Phillips is Professor of History at Collin College and author of White Metropolis: Race, Ethnicity, and Religion in Dallas, 1841–2001, winner of the Texas Historical Commission’s T. R. Fehrenbach Award for the best book on Texas history.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Assuming Center Stage 1

1 Least Among Equals: The Presiding Speakership, 1846-1900 9

2 Accumulating Clout: The Progressive Speakership, 1900-1921 20

3 "Calculatin' Coke": The End of Progressivism and Birth of the Early Modern Speakership, 1921-1949 32

4 Pragmatic Conservatism: The Dynastic Speakership, Part One, 1949-1961 52

5 Liberals, Conservatives, and the Dilemma of Race: The Dynastic Speakership, Part Two, 1961-1969 73

6 The Old Order Is Dead, Long Live the Old Order: Sharpstown, the Price Daniel Revolution, and the Speakership in Crisis, 1969-1975 93

7 The Executive Speakership, Part One, 1975-1983 117

8 The Executive Speakership, Part Two, 1983-2002 136

9 "Hell on Horses and Women": Gender and Family Life under the Dome 157

10 The End of an Era? The Executive Speakership under Tom Craddick, 2003-2009 177

Notes 201

Bibliography 233

Index 243