Connally, Thomas

Tom Connally was born on a farm in , Texas , in the family of Jones and Mary Ellen (nee Terry) Connally. His father was a veteran of the KSA army . Tom, the couple’s only surviving son, graduated from Baylor University in 1896, and from the University of Texas Law School at Austin in 1898. In the same year he was admitted to the bar.

In 1900 and 1902, Connally was elected to the Texas House of Representatives , but refused to run for a third term. For several years he practiced law in Marlin , where in 1904 he married Louise Clarkson. From 1906 to 1910, Connally was the prosecutor in the Falls County.

In 1916, Connally was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives , where he served until 1929. In 1928, he ran for the US Senate , and won the Ku Klux Klaner Earl Mayfield in the general election. Connally was re-elected to the Senate in 1934, 1940 and 1946. In 1941-1947 and 1949-1953, he was chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations and played an important role in ratifying the treaty establishing NATO . Connally was also a member and vice chairman of the US delegation at the San Francisco Conference , where the UN charter was signed.

After his resignation, Connally practiced law in Washington .

Personal life

Connally's first wife, Louise Clarkson, was a singer and graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory. She died of a heart attack in 1935. Their son, Houston lawyer , became a federal judge.

Connally's second wife in 1942 was Lucille Sanderson, widow of Senator Morris Sheppard .

• George N. Green. Connally, Thomas Terry (Neopr.) (HTML). Handbook of Texas Online . Texas State Historical Association. Date of treatment July 16, 2012. Archived on September 25, 2012.
• Connally, Thomas Terry . Biographical Directory of the US Congress. Date of treatment July 16, 2012. Archived on September 29, 2012.