Grover Sellers (November 20, 1892 – August 27, 1980) was Attorney General of Texas from 1944 to 1946.

Early years

Sellers was born in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

on November 20, 1892. He married his wife Hazel and had two daughters.

Career

He was elected a Delegate to the

1928 Democratic National Convention The 1928 Democratic National Convention was held at Sam Houston Hall in Houston, Texas, June 26–28, 1928. The keynote speaker was Claude G. Bowers. The convention resulted in the nomination of Governor Alfred E. Smith of New York for ...

from Texas. In 1930, Sellers defeated Justice William Hodges in the Democratic Primary and was subsequently elected a Justice of the Sixth Court of Appeals in

Texarkana The Texarkana metropolitan statistical area (MSA), as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, is a two-county region anchored by the Twin cities (geographical proximity), twin cities of Texarkana, Texas (population 37,33 ...

. Reelected in 1936, Sellers resigned his office to become

Attorney General of Texas The Texas attorney general is the chief legal officer
of the

. He served one term as Attorney General, from 1944–1946. During his term of office, Heman Sweatt, a black man, applied for admission to The

University of Texas Law School The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the law school of the University of Texas at Austin, a public research university in Austin, Texas. According to Texas Law’s ABA disclosures, 87.20% of the Class of 2022 obtained full-time ...

, which was then segregated for whites only. Sellers opposed Sweatt's admission, citing the "wise and long continued policy of segregation of races in the educational institutions of the state." Sellers ran for Governor of Texas in the crowded Democratic Primary in 1946. He lost the primary to

Beauford H. Jester Beauford Halbert Jester (January 12, 1893 – July 11, 1949) was an American politician who served as the 36th governor of Texas from 1947 until his death in office in 1949. He is the only Texas governor ever to have died in office. Jester wa ...

, coming in third. Later, he was appointed to the 12th Court of Appeals in Tyler. In 1964, Sellers was elected as a Delegate to the

1964 Democratic National Convention The 1964 Democratic National Convention of the Democratic Party, took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, from August 24 to 27, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a full term. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Mi ...

Local dairy industry leaders

Judge Grover Sellers owned and operated one of the early Jersey Herds in Hopkins County on his farm in the Star Ridge Community. Sellers is considered one of the "moving forces" in bringing the dairy industry to Hopkins County.

Death

Sellers died on August 27, 1980, in

Sulphur Springs, Texas Sulphur Springs is a city in and the county seat of Hopkins County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 15,941. Sulphur Springs is located in Northeast Texas. History Sulphur Springs 'sic ...

References

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sellers, Grover 1892 births 1980 deaths Texas attorneys general Texas Democrats Texas lawyers People from Hopkins County, Texas 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Texas politicians