Richard Mifflin Kleberg Sr. (November 18, 1887 – May 8, 1955), a Democrat, was a seven-term member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Texas's 14th congressional district over the period 1931–1945 and an heir to the King Ranch in South Texas. Kleberg was first elected in 1931 in a special election to succeed the late Harry M. Wurzbach. His election caused the Democratic party to achieve a majority in the House of Representatives, which it retained for all but four of the next sixty-three years. He was elected unopposed in 1940 and 1942. Lyndon B. Johnson served as a congressional secretary under Kleberg from 1931 until his appointment as head of the Texas

National Youth Administration The National Youth Administration (NYA) was a New Deal agency sponsored by Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt during his presidency. It focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 25. ...

in 1935. As described by Johnson biographer Robert Caro, Kleberg was a staunch conservative, and initially took a dim view of President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

and the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

. Nevertheless, he was persuaded by Lyndon Johnson to vote for certain key New Deal policies that he personally opposed when it was brought to his attention that they enjoyed significant support among his constituents. He was defeated for renomination in 1944 by John E. Lyle, Jr., who was elected unopposed that November. Kleberg died in 1955 at age 67. He was a member of the Miller group in Washington.

References

External links

* * *http://www.king-ranch.com/legend.htm
The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Kittredge to Kleier
at politicalgraveyard.com * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kleberg, Richard M. 1887 births 1955 deaths Politicians from Corpus Christi, Texas University of Texas at Austin alumni Ranchers from Texas Kleberg family People from Kleberg County, Texas Texas lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

See also

References

External links