Jack English Hightower

Jack English Hightower (born September 6, 1926) is a former Democratic U.S. representative from Texas. Born in Memphis, the seat of Hall County in west Texas, Hightower received a bachelor of arts degree from Baylor University in Waco in 1949, an LL.B. from that institution in 1951, and an LL.M. from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, in 1992. He was admitted to the Texas bar in 1951 and served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946; he was district attorney of the Forty-sixth Texas Judicial District from 1951 to 1961, and was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1953-1955.

Hightower was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election in 1961, and was a member of the Texas Senate from 1965 to 1974. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1968, and was elected to the Ninety-fourth and to the four succeeding Congresses, having served from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1985. In the year of Watergate, Hightower unseated the conservative Republican Representative Robert "Bob" Price of Pampa, the seat of Gray County. Hightower failed in his reelection bid to the Ninety-ninth Congress in 1984, having been defeated by the Republican Beau Boulter of Amarillo.

He was the first assistant attorney general of Texas under Attorney General James Albon "Jim" Mattox from 1985 to 1987. Hightower was elected to the Texas Supreme Court (1988; 1992-1995) and appointed to the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science by President William Jefferson Blythe "Bill" Clinton (August 9, 1999-July 19, 2004).

He is a resident of Austin. He is married to Colleen. Has 3 Children Ann, Amy and Allison.

Fraternity

Jack Hightower is a freemason, and served as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas, AF&AM in 1972. He is a member of Vernon Lodge #655. As of July, 2008, he is the oldest living Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas.

ee also

References

*CongBio|H000582 Retrieved on 2008-03-31