John Ben Shepperd
Encyclopedia
John Ben Shepperd was the segregation
ist Texas
attorney general
from 1953–1957 who led resistance to the desegregation of public schools mandated by the 1954 Supreme Court
decision Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
A versatile lawyer
and businessman, Shepperd maintained residences in his native Gladewater
, Texas, and in Odessa
, the site of the John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Institute, named in honor of his memory.
near the more populous county seat
of Longview
to Alfred Fulton Shepperd and the former Berthal Phillips. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin
with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1938 and an LL.B. in 1941. He was made a partner in the law firm of Kenley, Sharp, and Shepperd in Longview. During World War II
, Shepperd served for two years in the United States Army
. In 1946, on his release from the military, Shepperd was appointed to complete the term of his father, who had resigned, on the Gregg County Commissioners Court. In Texas, such appointments are made by the county judge.
Shepperd rose to the top ranks of the Jaycess, or Junior Chamber of Commerce, having served as both state and national presidents of the organization. On three occasions, he was named one of the “Outstanding Young Men in Texas”. In 1949, he was named among the “Outstanding Young Men in America”, along with future U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, Jr., of Michigan
and later U.S. Senator Charles H. Percy
of Illinois
. Shepperd was allied with Governor Shivers and the conservative wing of his state’s then dominant Democratic Party which clashed with the liberal wing headed by later U.S. Senator Ralph W. Yarborough of Austin
. In 1949, he served briefly under appointment from Governor Shivers on the elected Texas State Board of Education. In 1950, Governor
Allan Shivers
appointed Shepperd Secretary of State of Texas
. In that capacity, he organized an elections law task force and promoted measures to insure economy in government.
As his state’s chief legal officer, Shepperd led the fight against the Brown v. Board of Education
school desegregation
decision.
He was involved in the investigation of communist infiltration of organized labor and in jurisdictional disputes between state and national governments. In addition to his work against the Parr regime in Duval County, which had rallied on behalf of Lyndon Johnson in the 1948 U.S. Senate primary
runoff, Shepperd exposed a scheme to defraud his state of tobacco taxes. He also defended Texas from questions raised by other states regarding the 1953 congressional act, signed by Texas-born President Dwight D. Eisenhower
, which allocated revenues from the tidelands
in Texas up to a ten-mile limit to state ownership. In 1956, Shepperd was elected by his forty-seven peers as president of the National Association of Attorneys General. During his tenure of office, Shepperd hired Ray Farabee
, a UT law student in the Attorney General's office; Farabee was later a State Senator, Senate president pro tempore
, and the general counsel for the University of Texas at Austin
.
As Attorney General, Shepperd spearheaded an investigation of longstanding corruption in Duval County, a political machine
province of George Parr (also known as “The Duke of Duval”), located in the barren dusty area east of Laredo
in south Texas. Shepperd’s work produced some three hundred indictments of county and school officials.
In 1954, the Veterans' Land Board scandal shook the Shivers administration when it was revealed that certain corrupt land speculators tried to enrich themselves at public expense. Bascom Giles
, the elected State Land Commissioner, was indicted, convicted, and served a prison term for his role in the scandal. Neither Shivers nor Shepperd was implicated in the wrongdoing, but both as ex officio members of the land board had missed meetings where the abuses had occurred. Another scandal involved insurance companies accused of fraudulent activities. Shepperd had been expected to seek the gubernatorial nomination in 1956, but he left elected politics to become general counsel of Odessa Natural Gasoline Company, later El Paso Products Company, and to establish a new law firm there called Shepperd and Rodman. The governorship went to U.S. Senator Price Daniel
, who secured a narrow runoff victory over Ralph Yarborough. Yarborough in 1958 was elected to the first of two terms in the Senate, holding the seat that Daniel had vacated to become Governor. Ironically, Daniel had also been Shepperd's predecessor as Attorney General.
, banking, petrochemicals, public relations, and historical preservation. He was a political adviser and personal friend of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
. In the middle 1960s, Shepperd was named trustee for the acquisition of land for the creation of Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site
along the Pedernales River
in Gillespie County
in the Texas Hill Country
.
From 1963-1967, Shepperd headed the renamed Texas Historical Commission
and supported the placement of more markers along highways to promote historical preservation. He served too on the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. He pushed for the establishment in the late 1960s of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin
. In 1989, a thoroughfare near the UTPB campus was named the John Ben Shepperd Parkway. One of his later accomplishments was the creation of the John Ben Shepperd Leadership Forum at UTPB, which assists students in developing the techniques to become effective leaders.
He was also involved in the planning and expansion of the Presidential Museum and Leadership Library
, an institution on the UTPB campus dedicated to the office of the presidency. The "Library of Presidents" at the museum is named in Shepperd’s honor.
In 1984, Shepperd was named “Texan of the Year” by the state Chamber of Commerce, and three years later, the West Texas chamber named him “Outstanding West Texan”.
in DeWitt County
in southeastern Texas. The couple had two sons and twin daughters, John Ben, Jr. (November 13, 1942—June 17, 1970), Alfred, Marianne (September 2, 1948—July 16, 2008), and Suzanne. Shepperd was a member of the Christian Church
. He died of cancer
at the age of seventy-four at his ranch
in Gladewater. Shepperd, his son, and his daughter are interred at his private family cemetery in Gladewater.
In 1992, the Texas Historical Commission placed historical markers on Shepperd's gravesite and also in Gladewater. Another historical marker was erected in his honor in 1981 in Odessa.
Segregation
Segregation or segregate refers to setting apart or separating things or people and may refer to:* Particle segregation* Segregation in materials* Magnetic-activated cell sorting* Segregate * Mendel's law of segregation...
ist Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
attorney general
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
from 1953–1957 who led resistance to the desegregation of public schools mandated by the 1954 Supreme Court
Supreme court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, instance court, judgment court, high court, or apex court...
decision Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
A versatile lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and businessman, Shepperd maintained residences in his native Gladewater
Gladewater, Texas
Gladewater is a city in Gregg and Upshur Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 6,228 at the 2010 census. U.S. Highway 80 traverses the city....
, Texas, and in Odessa
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
, the site of the John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Institute, named in honor of his memory.
Early years
Shepperd was born in Gladewater, a small town in Gregg CountyGregg County, Texas
There were 42,687 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% were married couples living together, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.50% were non-families. 26.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.50% had...
near the more populous county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Longview
Longview, Texas
Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 80,455. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; only a small part extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. It is...
to Alfred Fulton Shepperd and the former Berthal Phillips. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1938 and an LL.B. in 1941. He was made a partner in the law firm of Kenley, Sharp, and Shepperd in Longview. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Shepperd served for two years in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. In 1946, on his release from the military, Shepperd was appointed to complete the term of his father, who had resigned, on the Gregg County Commissioners Court. In Texas, such appointments are made by the county judge.
Shepperd rose to the top ranks of the Jaycess, or Junior Chamber of Commerce, having served as both state and national presidents of the organization. On three occasions, he was named one of the “Outstanding Young Men in Texas”. In 1949, he was named among the “Outstanding Young Men in America”, along with future U.S. President Gerald R. Ford, Jr., of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and later U.S. Senator Charles H. Percy
Charles H. Percy
Charles Harting "Chuck" Percy was president of the Bell & Howell Corporation from 1949 to 1964. He was elected United States Senator from Illinois in 1966, re-elected through his term ending in 1985; he concentrated on business and foreign relations...
of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Shepperd was allied with Governor Shivers and the conservative wing of his state’s then dominant Democratic Party which clashed with the liberal wing headed by later U.S. Senator Ralph W. Yarborough of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. In 1949, he served briefly under appointment from Governor Shivers on the elected Texas State Board of Education. In 1950, Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
Allan Shivers
Allan Shivers
Robert Allan Shivers was a Texas politician who led the conservative faction of the Texas Democratic Party during the turbulent 1940s and 1950s...
appointed Shepperd Secretary of State of Texas
Secretary of State of Texas
The Secretary of State of Texas is one of six state officials designated by the Texas Constitution to form the executive department of that U.S. state...
. In that capacity, he organized an elections law task force and promoted measures to insure economy in government.
As attorney general
In 1952, Shepperd was elected to the first of two two-year terms as Attorney General.As his state’s chief legal officer, Shepperd led the fight against the Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
school desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
decision.
"He accomplished this by delivering a pro-segregation amicus curae to the Supreme Court in October of 1954 in response to Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, et al, the creation of an official pro-segregation policy for the Office of Attorney general of Texas, by pursuit of litigation against the NAACP to limit their effectiveness in Texas, by networking with other states to strategize and create a hedgerow against integration of public schools, and when he wrote or organized legislation to impede the integration of public schools in Texas."
He was involved in the investigation of communist infiltration of organized labor and in jurisdictional disputes between state and national governments. In addition to his work against the Parr regime in Duval County, which had rallied on behalf of Lyndon Johnson in the 1948 U.S. Senate primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
runoff, Shepperd exposed a scheme to defraud his state of tobacco taxes. He also defended Texas from questions raised by other states regarding the 1953 congressional act, signed by Texas-born President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
, which allocated revenues from the tidelands
Tidelands
Tidelands are the territory between the high and low water tide line of sea coasts, and lands lying under the sea beyond the low-water limit of the tide, considered within the territorial waters of a nation. The United States Constitution does not specify whether ownership of these lands rests with...
in Texas up to a ten-mile limit to state ownership. In 1956, Shepperd was elected by his forty-seven peers as president of the National Association of Attorneys General. During his tenure of office, Shepperd hired Ray Farabee
Ray Farabee
Kenneth Ray Farabee, known as Ray Farabee , is a retired attorney in Austin, Texas, who served as a Democratic member of the Texas State Senate from Wichita Falls from 1975 to 1988. He is credited with the authorship of 245 Senate bills that became law during his 13-year tenure. In 1985, he was the...
, a UT law student in the Attorney General's office; Farabee was later a State Senator, Senate president pro tempore
President pro tempore
A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer...
, and the general counsel for the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
.
As Attorney General, Shepperd spearheaded an investigation of longstanding corruption in Duval County, a political machine
Political machine
A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...
province of George Parr (also known as “The Duke of Duval”), located in the barren dusty area east of Laredo
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...
in south Texas. Shepperd’s work produced some three hundred indictments of county and school officials.
In 1954, the Veterans' Land Board scandal shook the Shivers administration when it was revealed that certain corrupt land speculators tried to enrich themselves at public expense. Bascom Giles
Bascom Giles
James Bascom Giles was Texas Land Commissioner from 1931 to 1955. Implicated in the Veterans' Land Board scandal, he gave up his office and served 3 years in prison.-Early life:...
, the elected State Land Commissioner, was indicted, convicted, and served a prison term for his role in the scandal. Neither Shivers nor Shepperd was implicated in the wrongdoing, but both as ex officio members of the land board had missed meetings where the abuses had occurred. Another scandal involved insurance companies accused of fraudulent activities. Shepperd had been expected to seek the gubernatorial nomination in 1956, but he left elected politics to become general counsel of Odessa Natural Gasoline Company, later El Paso Products Company, and to establish a new law firm there called Shepperd and Rodman. The governorship went to U.S. Senator Price Daniel
Price Daniel
Marion Price Daniel, Sr. , was a Democratic U.S. Senator and the 38th Governor of the state of Texas. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to be a member of the National Security Council, Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, and Assistant to the President for Federal-State...
, who secured a narrow runoff victory over Ralph Yarborough. Yarborough in 1958 was elected to the first of two terms in the Senate, holding the seat that Daniel had vacated to become Governor. Ironically, Daniel had also been Shepperd's predecessor as Attorney General.
Civic leadership
After his tenure as attorney general ended, Shepperd moved to Odessa, where he was active not only in law but also in insuranceInsurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
, banking, petrochemicals, public relations, and historical preservation. He was a political adviser and personal friend of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
. In the middle 1960s, Shepperd was named trustee for the acquisition of land for the creation of Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site
Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site
Lyndon B. Johnson State Park and Historic Site is a state park located along the Pedernales River in Gillespie County, Texas, United States west of Johnson City and east of Fredericksburg. The state created the park with donated land to honor Lyndon B...
along the Pedernales River
Pedernales River
The Pedernales River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in central Texas in the United States. It drains an area of the Edwards Plateau, flowing west to east across the Texas Hill Country west of Austin...
in Gillespie County
Gillespie County, Texas
Gillespie County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 24,837. It is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Gillespie is named for Robert Addison Gillespie, who came to Texas in 1837. He was a Texas Ranger, an Indian fighter, a...
in the Texas Hill Country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
.
From 1963-1967, Shepperd headed the renamed Texas Historical Commission
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas....
and supported the placement of more markers along highways to promote historical preservation. He served too on the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. He pushed for the establishment in the late 1960s of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin
University of Texas of the Permian Basin
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is located in Odessa, Texas. It was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1969 and founded in 1973...
. In 1989, a thoroughfare near the UTPB campus was named the John Ben Shepperd Parkway. One of his later accomplishments was the creation of the John Ben Shepperd Leadership Forum at UTPB, which assists students in developing the techniques to become effective leaders.
He was also involved in the planning and expansion of the Presidential Museum and Leadership Library
Presidential Museum and Leadership Library
The Presidential Museum and Leadership Library is a museum and library complex located in Odessa, Texas, on the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Unlike the many presidential libraries, the museum is dedicated to the office of the President of the United States, rather than...
, an institution on the UTPB campus dedicated to the office of the presidency. The "Library of Presidents" at the museum is named in Shepperd’s honor.
In 1984, Shepperd was named “Texan of the Year” by the state Chamber of Commerce, and three years later, the West Texas chamber named him “Outstanding West Texan”.
Personal Life
On October 6, 1938, Shepperd married the former Mamie Strieber of YorktownYorktown, Texas
Yorktown is a city in DeWitt County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,271 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Yorktown is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
in DeWitt County
DeWitt County, Texas
DeWitt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 20,013. DeWitt County is named for Green DeWitt, who founded an early colony in Texas. The seat of the county is Cuero. It was founded in 1846.-Geography:...
in southeastern Texas. The couple had two sons and twin daughters, John Ben, Jr. (November 13, 1942—June 17, 1970), Alfred, Marianne (September 2, 1948—July 16, 2008), and Suzanne. Shepperd was a member of the Christian Church
Christian Church
The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ. The Greek term ἐκκλησία that in its appearances in the New Testament is usually translated as "church" basically means "assembly"...
. He died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at the age of seventy-four at his ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
in Gladewater. Shepperd, his son, and his daughter are interred at his private family cemetery in Gladewater.
In 1992, the Texas Historical Commission placed historical markers on Shepperd's gravesite and also in Gladewater. Another historical marker was erected in his honor in 1981 in Odessa.