Pat Morris Neff (November 26, 1871 – January 20, 1952) was an American politician and educator who served as the 28th governor of Texas from 1921 to 1925. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the ninth president of

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

from 1932 to 1947 and the twenty-fifth president of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...

from 1944 to 1946. He served as Grand Master of Masons in Texas in 1946.

Early life

Born on his family ranch near the Eagle Springs community in

Coryell County, Texas Coryell County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 83,093. The county seat is Gatesville. The county is named for James Coryell, a frontiersman and Texas Range ...

, to Isabella Neff and her husband Noah, Pat Neff grew up on the Texas frontier and attended local schools. He graduated from McGregor High School. He received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from

Waco Waco ( ) is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a U.S. census estimated 2024 population of 146,608, making i ...

. He worked for the next two years teaching at Southwestern Academy in

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, to earn money to go to law school. Among his students was

Harvey C. Couch Harvey Crowley Couch, Sr. (21 August 1877 – 30 July 1941), was an Arkansas entrepreneur who rose from modest beginnings to control a regional utilities, utility and railroad empire. He is regarded as the father of Arkansas Power and Light Comp ...

, who would later become a successful entrepreneur in Arkansas. Upon returning to Texas, Neff studied and received his law degree from the

University of Texas School of Law The University of Texas School of Law (Texas Law) is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Texas at Austin, a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas. According to Texas Law’s American Bar ...

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

. There, he developed a close friendship with

Tom Connally Thomas Terry Connally (August 19, 1877October 28, 1963) was an American politician, who represented Texas in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, as a member of the Democratic Party. He served in the U.S. House of Represe ...

and

Morris Sheppard John Morris Sheppard (May 28, 1875April 9, 1941) was a Democratic United States Congressman and United States Senator from Texas. He authored the Eighteenth Amendment (Prohibition) and introduced it in the Senate, and is referred to as "the f ...

of Texas, who both became politicians and were later elected as U.S. senators from the state. After receiving his law degree and passing the bar, on May 31, 1899, Neff married Baylor classmate Myrtle Mainer in her hometown of Lovelady. In 1901, they had a daughter, whom they named Hallie Maude. They also had a son, Pat M. Neff, Jr.

Public office in Texas

Neff joined the Democratic Party and entered politics, being elected in 1898 to the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

, and serving from 1899 to 1905. He was elected to one term as Speaker. After returning to his law practice in Waco, Neff served for six years as the assistant county attorney and then as county attorney for

McLennan County McLennan County is a County (United States), county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 260,579. Its county seat and largest city is Waco, Texas, Waco. The U.S. c ...

. Considered a progressive Democrat and described as a "friend of organized labor," Neff defeated former U.S. Senator Joseph Weldon Bailey, a former

populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

, in the party primary for governor in 1920. This defeat effectively ended Bailey's political career. Neff handily won the general election and started his term in 1921. During his tenure, a number of reforms were carried out such as new labor laws, the organization of cooperative marketing associations to assist farmers with selling their commodities, and higher funding for vocational and rural schools. Neff received criticism during his time as governor for vetoing a minimum wage act. This was introduced to replace a previous minimum wage law that had been repealed by the Texas Legislature. Much of Neff’s opposition to the measure, however, was directed to the fact that it excluded several categories of workers from its provisions, and in his veto message stated that his veto should not be interpreted as meaning that he did not believe in the possibility of a “just and entirely workable” minimum wage bill. Neff was a strong supporter of

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

. He was instrumental in the development of the Texas State Parks Board. Neff and his mother, Isabella Neff, donated the land which would become the first state park in Texas. It was named Mother Neff State Park. During the resurgence of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

during his administration, Neff was criticized for not taking a stronger stance. Neff is notable for his pardon of folk singer

Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter ( ; January 1888 or 1889 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the ...

in his last days as governor. Neff was reelected in 1922 but did not seek a third term in 1924. At the time, it was "understood" that no governor should run for a third term, although Texas did not have official term limits for the office. In 1924 Miriam Wallace "Ma" Ferguson, wife of controversial former Governor

James E. Ferguson James Edward Ferguson Jr. (August 31, 1871 – September 21, 1944), known as Pa Ferguson, was an American Democratic politician and the 26th governor of Texas, in office from 1915 to 1917. He was indicted and impeached during his second term ...

, won the general election. The Republican

nominee A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group or election to an office, in which case a ...

, George C. Butte, a jurist who had opposed James Ferguson's

line item veto The line-item veto, also called the partial veto, is a special form of veto power that authorizes a chief executive to reject particular provisions of a bill enacted by a legislature without vetoing the entire bill. Many countries have different ...

of the 1917 University of Texas appropriations bill, had a stronger than usual showing. Many voters crossed party lines to vote for him, as they were unhappy with the corruption associated with "Pa" Ferguson. Neff served as a member of the

Railroad Commission of Texas The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC; also sometimes called the Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and su ...

from 1929 to 1933.

President of Baylor University

After the death of Samuel Palmer Brooks, Neff was nominated to replace him as President of Baylor University. He resigned the post of President of the Board of Trustees, a position that he had held since it was vacated by B. H. Carroll in 1907, upon the nomination as President. In 1947, Neff was asked to stay on as the President by the staff at Baylor University.

President of the Southern Baptist Convention

Neff was president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1944 to 1946.

Legacy

Pat Neff Elementary School in Houston and Pat Neff Middle School of

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

(

Northside Independent School District Northside Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Leon Valley, Texas. It is the largest school district in the San Antonio area and the fourth largest in the State of Texas. Northside serves of urban landscape, sub ...

) are named for Neff, as is Pat Neff Hall at Baylor. Neff died in Waco and is interred there at Oakwood Cemetery. His papers, including those from his time as governor, are housed in The Texas Collection at

References

* Dorothy Blodgett, Terrell Blodgett, and David L. Scott, ''The Land, the Law, and the Lord: The Life of Pat Neff'' (2007). * Stanley, Mark. "Booze, boomtowns, and burning crosses: The turbulent governorship of Pat M. Neff of Texas, 1921—1925," M.A. thesis, University of North Texas, 2005, 138 pages; AAT 1430156 in

PROQUEST ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for l ...

* Neff (Pat Morris) Collection, The Texas Collection, Baylor University

External links

*
Speeches delivered by Pat M. Neff, Governor of Texas, discussing certain phases of contemplated legislation
hosted by the Portal to Texas History]
Messages of Pat M. Neff, Governor of Texas to the thirty-seventh legislature
hosted by the Portal to Texas History]
Baylor University Web Site

1933 Baylor University "Roundup" via the Baylor University Libraries Digital Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neff, Pat Morris 1871 births 1952 deaths Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Waco, Texas) People from Waco, Texas Texas lawyers Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Members of the Railroad Commission of Texas University of Texas School of Law alumni Presidents of Baylor University Southern Baptist Convention presidents Democratic Party governors of Texas People from McGregor, Texas Temperance activists from Texas 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature