Texas Governor Price Daniel:

An Inventory of Governor Price Daniel Appointment Files at the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, 1947, 1957-1962

Agency History

The governor of Texas is the chief executive officer of the state, elected by the citizens every four years. The duties and responsibilities of the governor include serving as commander-in-chief of the state's military forces; convening special sessions of the legislature for specific purposes; delivering to the legislature at the beginning of each regular session a report on the condition of the state, an accounting of all public money under the governor's control, a recommended biennial budget, an estimate of the amounts of money required to be raised by taxation, and any recommendations he deems necessary; signing or vetoing bills passed by the legislature; and executing the laws of the state. The governor can grant reprieves and commutations of punishment and pardons, upon the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, and revoke conditional pardons. He appoints numerous state officials (with the consent of the Senate), fills vacancies in state and district offices (except vacancies in the legislature), calls special elections to fill vacancies in the legislature, fills vacancies in the United States Senate until an election can be held, and serves as ex officio member of several state boards.

The office of governor was first established by the Constitution of 1845 and superseded the office of president of the Republic of Texas. The position now exists under authority of Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution of 1876 and Texas Government Code, Chapter 401. To be elected governor, a person must be at least thirty years old, a United States citizen, and a resident of Texas for at least five years preceding the election. In 1972, the term of office was extended from two to four years, effective in 1975. Since 1856 the governor has had the use of the Governor's Mansion.

In 1957 the Office of the Governor had 30 full-time equivalent employees including an executive secretary, a director of the Budget Division, and the state coordinator of civil defense and disaster relief.

(Source: Fry, Phillip L. "Governor," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed July 7, 2020.)

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Price Daniel Biographical Sketch

Price Daniel was born on October 10, 1910, in Dayton, Texas, the eldest son of Marion Price and Nannie Partlow Daniel. After graduating from high school in Fort Worth, he attended Baylor University where he earned a degree in journalism in 1931. The following year he received his law degree at Baylor and opened a law practice in Liberty, Texas.

During the next seven years, Price Daniel practiced law and assisted with publishing two local newspapers he co-owned. In 1939 he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives and became a member of the State Democratic Executive Committee. The following year he married Jean Houston Baldwin; they had four children. After serving three terms in the legislature, he was chosen as speaker of the house in 1943. After serving one term as speaker, he resigned to enlist in the United States Army as a private. The following year he graduated from officers' candidate school in Lexington, Virginia, as a judge advocate general. Stationed in Japan and the Pacific, he had attained the rank of captain when he was discharged in May 1946.

Upon his return to Texas, he entered the race for attorney general and won the election in 1947. Running unopposed, he was reelected twice. His tenure as attorney general was noted for efforts to disband organized gambling operations in Texas; defense of the University of Texas Law School in its refusal to admit African-American applicant Heman Marion Sweatt; and defense of the state's ownership of its submerged lands in the Gulf of Mexico (the tidelands) against claims of the federal government. The tidelands case was the hallmark of his political career. In 1952 Daniel was elected to the United States Senate. He sponsored a bill that would return tidelands ownership to Texas, and President Eisenhower signed it into law on May 22, 1953. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he chaired a special Subcommittee on Improvements in the Federal Criminal Code and directed a nationwide probe that resulted in the most stringent narcotics regulation in the nation's history.

After four years as senator, Price Daniel returned home and successfully ran for governor of Texas in 1956. He served as governor for three consecutive terms, from 1957 to 1963. During his tenure he successfully pushed through the legislative programs for highways, prison reform, water conservation, higher teacher salaries, and improved care for the mentally disabled. He also worked to establish the Texas State Archives and Library building. Attempting to run for an unprecedented fourth term, he was defeated by John Connally in the Democratic primary.

Daniel then returned to his law practice in Liberty and Austin. In 1967 President Lyndon appointed him director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, a post that gave him a position on the National Security Council. He also served as the president's liaison to the governors of the states and territories. In 1971 Daniel was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Texas Supreme Court. Elected an associate justice in his own right in 1972 and again in 1978, he retired in 1979. Daniel served as a special assistant to the Texas attorney general for the Texas v. Louisiana boundary case, as a trustee of Baylor College of Medicine, and on the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. He also served as legal counsel for the Alabama-Coushatta Indian tribe. He was a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas, Knights of the Order of San Jacinto, and the Philosophical Society of Texas and was active in numerous church and civic activities until his death on August 25, 1988.

(Source: Murph, Daniel. "Daniel, Marion Price, Sr.," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed July 7, 2020.)

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Scope and Contents of the Records

Price Daniel was governor of Texas from January 15, 1957, to January 15, 1963. The governor of Texas is the chief executive officer of the state. The governor appoints heads of state commissions and boards, members of university boards of regents, state and regional commissions, and some judges. These records are appointments files of Texas Governor Price Daniel, dating 1947, 1957-1963, consisting of correspondence, recommendations, acceptances, and press releases.

This folder inventory is a transcription of the original box and folder titles. Groupings are rough and non-exclusive by title and date. Researchers are advised to review all the Attorney General, Governor, and U.S. Senator Price Daniel finding aids for subjects of interest. Inconsistent titles and dates are evident. Misidentifications and misfilings are possible.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Records described in this finding aid may contain information that is confidential under the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) (Texas Government Code, Chapter 552) or other statutes. Restricted information, as outlined in the statutes, applies to both physical and electronic records. As laws change, statutory restrictions may be added to or removed from these records. See our Texas Public Information Act and Researching in the State Archives web page for the more common types of restrictions found in state government records.

Requests for materials held within the State Archives, whether a Research Request or Public Information Act Request, must be submitted via this form: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/ref/Texas_State_Archive_Material_Request_Form.pdf. A Research Request is sufficient for requesting most State Archives materials. While a PIA Request is always an option, a PIA Request for State Archives materials is required only if a researcher does not agree to the redaction or removal of restricted government information (see: Texas Gov’t Code Chapter 552).

For further assistance with accessing materials within the State Archives, contact the Reference Desk: archinfo@tsl.texas.gov or 512-463-5455.

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).

Technical Requirements

None.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item), Texas Governor Price Daniel appointment files. Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession numbers: 1989/250, 1989/260

Price Daniel transferred his records as governor of Texas to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission at the close of his administration in 1963. The Texas State Library transferred these documents to the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center in 1977, and the records were formally accessioned on December 4, 1989. Jean Baldwin (Mrs. Price) Daniel donated the private papers of Price Daniel as governor to the Sam Houston Center on November 27, 1989.

Processing Information

Processed by Carrie Griffin, April 1993

Finding aid encoded in EAD Version 2002 by Carolyn Foster, February 2005

Updates to description by Lisa Meisch, August 2006, August 2018

DACS compliance and other revisions to description and encoding by Lauren Davis, July 2020

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Detailed Description of the Records

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