This is one of Jake’s favorite and most engaging stories–one that he loved to recall and one that became better fixed in his mind the more times he recounted it, as is evident in this retelling.
Candid Chats on the Life and Career of the Sixteen-Term Texas Congressman
This is one of Jake’s favorite and most engaging stories–one that he loved to recall and one that became better fixed in his mind the more times he recounted it, as is evident in this retelling.
Daddy said many times that the first Civil Rights vote was the one of which he was most proud. Other Great Society legislation followed, and he voted for it all.
But that first vote was a true test; it could have made — or ended — his Congressional career. Many citizens in the eastern counties of the Tenth Congressional District were dead set against the Civil Rights Act, and they were vocal. But it seemed common sense and fair to him, so he voted for it.
Everybody thought Jake voted “Yes” because he was under pressure from President Johnson, as I’m sure he was. But I’ve always thought Daddy didn’t want to face his father, Pop Pickle, if he had voted “No.” Pop thought it was past time for civil rights, and said so. So did Daddy’s brother-in-law, Jonathan Lancaster. In fact, Daddy would have had trouble explaining a “No” vote to the extended Pickle family.
That first momentous vote set the stage for Jake’s progressive 31-year Congressional term, and probably saved his career.