James V. Allred of Texas: A judicial biography

James V. Allred, Governor of Texas during the New Deal, illustrates the paradoxes of Southwestern political/legal history. Allred was a liberal who followed President Franklin D. Roosevelt's policies, but was simultaneously a Southern demagogue with implicit beliefs in white superiority that characterized most southern politicians of that age of segregation. Allred influenced law and society with his blend of Populist, New Deal, and regional beliefs. After his governorship, Allred remained in Texas on the United States District Court, Southern District. As a judge, Allred employed a reflexive, intuitive style reminiscent of the chancellor of an equity court. He maintained strict control over his courtroom and his docket and wrote workmanlike opinions. Allred resigned his lifetime position on the federal bench to run for the U.S. Senate, but narrowly lost to Senator William L. "Pappy" O'Daniel. President Roosevelt re-appointed Allred to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, but political repercussions blocked that nomination. Allred was finally returned to the Southern District bench by President Truman.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Humanities

Grantor

Rice University

Year dc:date.issued

1991

Author dc:creator

• Tidwell, Patricia A. Levee

• Political science

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1911/13513

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.rice.edu:1911/13513