| Thomas Terry Connally | |
|---|---|
| United States Senator from Texas |
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| In office March 4, 1929 – January 3, 1953 |
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| Preceded by | Earle B. Mayfield |
| Succeeded by | Price Daniel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 19, 1877 Hewitt, Texas |
| Died | October 28, 1963 (aged 86) Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Democratic |
Thomas Terry "Tom" Connally (August 19, 1877 – October 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 US House of Representative from 1917–1928, and the US Senate from 1929 - 1953.
As Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he was instrumental in the ratification of the treaty creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He was also a member and vice-chairman to the United Nations Conference on International Organization in 1945 that chartered the United Nations.
Connally was the author of the noted "Connally Reservation," which amended the U.S. ratification of the U.N. charter to bar the International Court of Justice from having jurisdiction over domestic matters '"as determined by the United States"'. The self-defining proviso was and is seen as something of a repudiation of the authority of the world court. From an American perspective, the proviso would protect the U.S. against potential overreach by the international group.
The Connally Hot Oil Act of 1935 bears his name. The bill attempted to circumvent the Supreme Court rejection of a key part of New Deal legislation.
On October 20, 1951, when General Mark Wayne Clark was nominated by President Harry Truman to be the U.S. emissary to the Holy See, Connally protested the decision along with other Protestant groups and Clark later withdrew his nomination on January 13, 1952.
Connally's first wife was Cincinnati Conservatory trained vocalist Louise Clarkson of Marlin, Texas who died in his senate chamber office of a sudden heart attack in 1935. Their son was Houston attorney Ben Clarkson Connally, a Federal District Judge. Connally was a widower when he married Lucile Sanderson, who was the widow of the other Texas senator, Morris Sheppard [1]. Connally was the step-grandfather of Lucille's grandson, Connie Mack, III, a Republican U.S. Senator from Florida (1989–2001), and the step-great-grandfather of Mack's son, Connie Mack, IV, U.S. Representative from Florida. He is buried in Marlin, Texas next to his first wife in Calvary Cemetery. He was the first cousin twice removed of Governor John B. Connally, Jr..
While studying at the University of Texas law School, Connally was a close friend of future Governor of Texas Pat Neff and future U. S. Senator Morris Sheppard.[1]
| Texas House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sam Little |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 72 (Marlin) 1901–1903 |
Succeeded by John W. Stollenwerck, Sr. Samuel R. Boyd |
| Preceded by Abram Cole |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 69 (Marlin) 1903–1905 along with: J. S. Ainsworth(1) |
Succeeded by Austin Milton Kennedy W. C. O'Bryan |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Robert L. Henry |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 11th congressional district 1917–1929 |
Succeeded by Oliver H. Cross |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Earle Bradford Mayfield |
U.S. Senator from Texas 1929–1953 |
Succeeded by Price Daniel |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Walter F. George |
Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations 1941–1947 |
Succeeded by Arthur H. Vandenberg |
| Preceded by Arthur H. Vandenberg |
Chair of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations 1949–1953 |
Succeeded by Alexander Wiley |
| Notes and references | ||
| 1. For the 27th Legislature, District 69 was a multi-member district. | ||
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