Joe Madison Kilgore
Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 15th district
In office
January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1965
Preceded byLloyd Bentsen
Succeeded byKika de la Garza
Member of the
Texas House of Representatives
from Hidalgo County
In office
1947–1955
Preceded byEugene Harrell
Succeeded byJohn Taylor Ellis, Jr.
Personal details
Born(1918-12-10)December 10, 1918
Brownwood, Texas, U.S.
DiedFebruary 10, 1999(1999-02-10) (aged 80)
Austin, Texas, U.S.
Resting placeTexas State Cemetery in Austin
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJane Redman Kilgore
Alma mater
OccupationLawyer
AwardsSilver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal with two Oak leaf clusters
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army Air Corps
Battles/warsWorld War II Mediterranean Theater of Operations

Joe Madison Kilgore (December 10, 1918 – February 10, 1999) was an American lawyer, politician, and decorated World War II veteran who served five terms as a U.S. Representative from Texas's 15th congressional district from 1955 to 1965.

Early life and education

Born in Brown County, near Brownwood in west central Texas, Kilgore attended the public schools of Rising Star in Eastland County in north central Texas. In 1929, he moved with his family to Mission in south Texas, where he also attended public schools.

From 1935 to 1936, Kilgore attended Trinity University, then known as Westmoreland College, located in San Antonio, Texas.

World War II

His legal studies were interrupted at the University of Texas School of Law in July 1941 to enlist in the United States Army Air Corps. He was a combat pilot in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations.

Kilgore was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal with two Oak leaf clusters. He was discharged from the Army in 1945 as a lieutenant colonel.

He returned to law school, and in 1946 he was admitted to the bar. He began his law practice in Edinburg, Texas in Hidalgo County in south Texas.

Political career

He served as member of the Texas House from 1947 to 1955. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions in 1956, 1960, and 1968.

Congress

Kilgore was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-fourth and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1955 to January 3, 1965), when he was one of the majority of the Texan delegation to decline to sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto opposing the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. Kilgore voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,[1][2] but in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1960.[3] He was not a candidate for renomination in 1964 to the Eighty-ninth Congress.

Later career and death

Kilgore grave at Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas

Instead, he resumed the practice of law, residing in Austin until his death there on February 10, 1999. He is interred in Austin at the Texas State Cemetery alongside his wife, the former Jane Redman (1923-2006).

Electoral results

1954 United States House of Representatives elections[4]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joe M. Kilgore 29,113 100.00
Total votes 29,113 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
1956 United States House of Representatives elections[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joe M. Kilgore (Incumbent) 64,011 100.00
Total votes 64,011 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
1958 United States House of Representatives elections[6]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joe M. Kilgore (Incumbent) 28,404 100.00
Total votes 28,404 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
1960 United States House of Representatives elections[7]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joe M. Kilgore (Incumbent) 76,421 100.00
Total votes 76,421 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold
1962 United States House of Representatives elections[8]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Joe M. Kilgore (Incumbent) 53,552 100.00
Total votes 53,552 100.0
Turnout  
Democratic hold

References

  1. ↑ "HR 6127. CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1957". GovTrack.us.
  2. ↑ "S.J. RES. 29. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN THE USE OF POLL TAX AS A REQUIREMENT FOR VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS". GovTrack.us.
  3. ↑ "HR 8601. PASSAGE".
  4. ↑ 1954 election results
  5. ↑ 1956 election results
  6. ↑ 1958 election results
  7. ↑ 1960 election results
  8. ↑ 1962 election results
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