Congressman George Mahon
Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas
Marker Inscription
George Herman Mahon (1900-1985) was born in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, to John Kirkpatrick and Lola Willis (Brown) Mahon. In 1908, the family moved to Loraine (Mitchell County), Texas, where George grew up on a cotton farm and graduated from Loraine High School. He attended Simmons College (now Hardin-Simmons University) in Abilene and married his high school sweetheart, Helen Stevenson (1900-1987). George received his law degree from the University of Texas and began a law practice in Colorado City. In 1926, George Mahon began a life in politics as Mitchell County Attorney and then District Attorney. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the newly-created Nineteenth District in 1935, he retained this seat for 44 years. He was one of a few members of the House trusted with knowledge of the atomic bomb during World War II. In 1949, Mahon was selected to chair a new subcomittee on defense appropriations and later became the chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations. Mahon was instrumental in such West Texas projects as the reactivation of Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock and Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, as well as construction of Interstate 27 from Amarillo to Lubbock. Mahon accompanied President John F. Kennedy on his trip to Texas in 1963, and was in the motorcade in Dallas when the President was killed. After the 1970 tornado in Lubbock, Mahon persuaded federal officials to grant millions in federal aid to the city. A new library, built on the site of the devastation, was named for George and Helen Mahon. When he retired in December 1978, Mahon was the longest-serving member of the House. He worked closely with seven of the eight U.S. presidents with whom he served. In 1984, he and his wife returned to Colorado City. (2017) Maker is property of the State of Texas
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
George Herman Mahon grew up on a West Texas cotton farm, practiced law in Colorado City, and in 1935 won election to Congress from the newly created Nineteenth District, a seat he held for 44 years. Trusted with knowledge of the atomic bomb during World War II, he chaired the defense appropriations subcommittee and eventually the powerful House Appropriations Committee, steering federal projects to West Texas. He rode in President Kennedy's Dallas motorcade in 1963 and retired in 1978 as the longest-serving member of the House.
Why it matters
Mahon's decades atop the federal purse strings made a West Texas farm boy one of the most quietly powerful figures in mid-century American government and defense.
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Related people
- · George Herman Mahon
- · Helen Stevenson Mahon
- · John F. Kennedy
Related events
- · World War II
- · Assassination of President Kennedy
Themes & tags
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