Oil and Gas Lawyer Blog
Dan Moody was governor of Texas, serving two terms, 1927-31. He was born and raised in Taylor, Texas; the family home is now the Moody Museum. Last Saturday I attended the unveiling of a statue of Governor Moody at the museum. Because his family has a connection to Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody, I thought it appropriate to say something about him. His son Dan Moody Jr. (1929-2000) was born in the Governor’s Mansion; he was a partner in our firm from 1966 until his death and was a distinguished Austin attorney.
Governor Moody was admitted to the bar in 1914, at the age of 21. It is reported that he had to sell the gold watch he had inherited from his father to pay the $75 fee for the bar exam. He served in in World War I; as county attorney of Williamson County; and as District Attorney of the 26th Judicial District encompassing Travis and Williamson Counties from 1923-25. He was elected Attorney General of Texas in 1925 and Governor in 1927, serving two terms.
As District Attorney, Moody prosecuted and convicted four members of the Ku Klux Klan for tarring and feathering a traveling salesman; he became known for “breaking the back” of the Klan in Texas. A dramatization of the trial has been performed in the courthouse in Georgetown where his prosecutions took place. The recognition he gained from these trials led him to run for Attorney General, where he successfully prosecuted cases to set aside highway contracts awarded by then-governor Miriam A. (“Ma”) Ferguson. He ran against and defeated Ferguson for governor, supporting prohibition and woman suffrage.
As Governor, Moody pursued a strong reform program, halting a liberal convict-pardon mill initiated by the Fergusons, reforming the prison management system and the highway system, and initiating the office of state auditor. He fought for but failed to pass a strong civil service law.
Moody ran for Senator in 1942, against W. Lee (“Pappy”) O’Daniel and James Allred; O’Daniel won, and Moody came in third.
Moody represented Coke Stevenson in his unsuccessful challenge to Lyndon Johnson’s narrow victory over Stevenson in the 1948 US Senate election, what became known as the Box 13 scandal. James Allred represented Johnson. Allred later became a noted federal judge.
Dan Moody and his wife Mildred had two children, a daughter Nancy and a son, Dan Jr. Both are interred in the Texas State Cemetery.
Governor Moody’s sister lived in the family home until her death, when it was donated to the City of Taylor and converted to a museum.
