James Burr V AllredThe "V" was a name, not an initial. (March 29, 1899 – September 24, 1959) was the 33rd governor of Texas. He later served, twice, as a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (in case citations, S.D. Tex.) is the federal district court with jurisdiction over the southeastern part of Texas. The court's headquarters is in Houston, Texas and has six ...

Education and career

Born on March 29, 1899, in Bowie,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, the son of Renne Allred Sr. and Mary Magdalene (Henson), James V Allred graduated from Bowie High School in 1917. He enrolled at Rice Institute (now

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...

) but withdrew for financial reasons. He then served with the United States Immigration Service. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1918 to 1919. He received a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1921 from

Cumberland School of Law Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law schoo ...

(then part of

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberlan ...

, now part of Samford University). He was in private practice in

Wichita Falls Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. According ...

, Texas from 1921 to 1923 and from 1926 to 1931. He was district attorney in Wichita Falls from 1923 to 1926. He was Attorney General of Texas from 1931 to 1935. He was Governor of Texas from 1935 to 1939. He was an ardent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and supporter of the New Deal policies of President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

First district court term

Allred received a

recess appointment In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the president of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the President is empowered to nominate, and with the a ...

to the

on July 11, 1938, but he declined the appointment. He was nominated by President

on January 5, 1939, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 52 Stat. 584. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on February 16, 1939, and received his commission on February 23, 1939. His service ended on May 15, 1942, due to his resignation.

Senate run and intervening service

Allred was an unsuccessful candidate for the

from Texas in

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...

. He then returned to private practice in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, Texas, from 1943 to 1949.

Second district court term

Allred was nominated by President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

on September 23, 1949, to the

, to a new seat authorized by 63 Stat. 493. He was confirmed by the

on October 12, 1949, and received his commission on October 13, 1949. His service ended with his death on September 24, 1959, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Honor

James V. Allred Unit, a

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

(TDCJ) state prison for men in

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accord ...

, is named for Allred.

Note

References

Sources

* Ex-Governor Allred Dies After Seizure. ''Dallas Morning News'', September 25, 1959, sec. I, p. 1. * Fiery Allred Got Into Politics Early. ''Dallas Morning News'', September 25, 1959, sec. I, p. 3. * James V Allred of U.S. Bench, 60. ''New York Times'', September 25, 1959. * Joe Betsy Allred, widow of former governor, dies. ''Dallas Morning News'', June 9, 1993, p. 30A.

External links

*
Legislative Messages of Hon. James V Allred, Governor of Texas 1935-1939
hosted by the Portal to Texas History * * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Allred, James V. 1899 births 1959 deaths People from Bowie, Texas United States Navy personnel of World War I People from Wichita Falls, Texas Rice University alumni Cumberland University alumni Texas Attorneys General Democratic Party governors of Texas People from Corpus Christi, Texas Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas United States district court judges appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians United States district court judges appointed by Harry S. Truman