Governor W. Lee O'Daniel
Dallas, Dallas County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(March 11, 1890 - May 11, 1969) A native of Ohio, Wilbert Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel grew up in Kansas. He moved to Ft. Worth in 1925 as sales manager of a flour-milling company. There he became a radio personality and promoter of a western band, the Light Crust Doughboys. In 1938, after a show of support from his radio listeners, O'Daniel entered the Democratic race for governor, despite his lack of political experience. Campaigning with another band, The Hillbilly Boys, he advocated industrial growth, old-age assistance, and abolition of the Poll Tax. He amazed political experts by defeating 12 Democratic opponents without a runoff. His vast inaugural picnic on Jan. 17, 1939, was the first of many colorful public events which marked his administration. Although he failed to achieve many of his campaign goals, O'Daniel was re-elected in 1940 but served only part of his second term. In the summer of 1941, he won a special election to the U.S. Senate over future U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and other candidates. The next year, O'Daniel defeated two former Texas governors to win a full six-year Senate term. After leaving the Senate in 1949, he moved to Dallas and opened an insurance company near this site. Married to Merle Estella Butcher, he had 3 children. (1978)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
An Ohio-born flour-mill salesman, W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel turned a Fort Worth radio show and his western band, the Light Crust Doughboys, into a political launchpad. In 1938 he stunned the experts by winning the governorship without a runoff, campaigning with a hillbilly band on a platform of old-age pensions and abolishing the poll tax, and in 1941 he narrowly beat a young Lyndon B. Johnson for the U.S. Senate.
Why it matters
O'Daniel's rise shows how mass media — radio and country music — reshaped American politics in the 1930s, turning an entertainer into a governor and senator.
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Related people
- · W. Lee O'Daniel
- · Lyndon B. Johnson
- · Merle Estella Butcher
Related events
- · 1941 U.S. Senate special election
Themes & tags
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