W. Lee O'Daniel

At 79 years old, W. Lee O'Daniel physical status not available right now. We will update W. Lee O'Daniel's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

In 1938, he ran for governor of Texas as a Democrat. O'Daniel's campaign hailed his flour and the need for pensions and tax cuts. He promised to block a sales tax and raise pensions. O'Daniel won the Democratic primary election with 51 percent of the ballots over twelve opponents. In office, he seemingly went against his campaign promise by proposing a new transaction tax, which was voted down by the Texas Legislature. Despite this position change, he remained personally popular and handily won re-election in 1940. In both elections, his main competition came from Texas Railroad Commissioner Ernest O. Thompson, the former mayor of Amarillo.

In 1941, O'Daniel ran for the United States Senate in a special election. He defeated Lyndon Johnson by 1,311 votes in one of the most controversial elections in state history. As a result of this experience, in the 1948 election, Johnson prepared for a close runoff by arranging for his supporters who controlled votes, including George Parr, to withhold their final tallies until the statewide results were announced. As a senator, O'Daniel was ineffective, and most of his legislation was defeated. He endorsed the anti-Roosevelt Texas Regulars in the 1944 presidential election. Elected to a full term in 1942, O'Daniel refused to run for another term in 1948.

Later career

After leaving the Senate, O'Daniel bought a ranch near Fort Worth. He invested in real estate in Dallas and was also active in the insurance business.

O'Daniel ran for governor in 1956 and 1958 and claimed that the Brown v. Board of Education decision was part of a Communist conspiracy. He finished third in the Democratic primaries both times.

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