Maury Maverick | |
|---|---|
 Maverick in 1936 | |
| 159thMayor of San Antonio | |
| In office 1939–1941 | |
| Preceded by | C. K. Quin |
| Succeeded by | C. K. Quin |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's20th district | |
| In office January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1939 | |
| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | Paul J. Kilday |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Fontaine Maury Maverick (1895-10-23)October 23, 1895 San Antonio,Texas, U.S. |
| Died | June 7, 1954(1954-06-07) (aged 58) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Children | Maury Jr. |
| Relatives |
|
| Alma mater | University of Texas, Austin |
| Occupation | Attorney |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1919 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Unit | Infantry Branch |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Fontaine Maury Maverick Sr. (October 23, 1895 – June 7, 1954) was an American politician. A member of theDemocratic Party, he served in theUnited States House of Representatives forTexas's 20th congressional district from 1935 to 1939.[1] He is best remembered for his independence from the party and for coining the term "gobbledygook" for obscure and euphemistic bureaucratic language.[2][3]
Maverick was born inSan Antonio, Texas, the son of Albert and Jane Lewis (Maury) Maverick. His paternal grandparents wereSamuel Maverick, one of the signers of theTexas Declaration of Independence and the source of the wordmaverick, andMary Ann Adams Maverick. He studied atTexas Military Institute, theVirginia Military Institute, and theUniversity of Texas. Maverick's ancestor isSamuel Maverick (colonist), who is one of the earliest settlers of Massachusetts, one of the largest original land owners, and the first to bring slaves to Massachusetts.
Maverick was admitted to the bar in 1916 andpracticed law in San Antonio. He was a first lieutenant in the infantry inWorld War I and earned theSilver Star and thePurple Heart. He served with the28th Infantry Regiment, part of the1st Division, and was involved in theMeuse–Argonne offensive.[4]
In the 1920s, he was involved in the lumber and mortgage businesses.
From 1929 to 1931, he was the elected tax collector forBexar County.
He was elected to theSeventy-fourth Congress in 1934,[5] with support from the Hispanic population of his district, and re-elected in 1936 to theSeventy-fifth.[6] During his 1934 campaign, Maverick enlistedLyndon Johnson, a then little-known congressional secretary, to work for him during the Democratic primary.[7] In the House, he was an ardent champion ofFranklin Delano Roosevelt'sNew Deal. He angered the conservative Democrats running the party back in Texas, includingJohn Nance Garner.[citation needed]
Maverick was the sole Texas Democrat to vote for theAnti-Lynching Bill of 1937.[8]
A split between FDR and Vice PresidentJohn Nance Garner over Supreme Court reorganization put Congressman Maverick in an extremely weakened position, leaving him unable to fund his reelection, which led to his defeat in the primary for a third term in 1938. This was primarily accomplished at the direction of Garner's conservative allies in the district. Maverick returned to Texas where he was electedMayor of San Antonio, again with support fromminority voters, serving from 1939 to 1941. In the subsequent election, he was labeled aCommunist and defeated. Lyndon Johnson, future President, was running for the Senate and secretly made a pact with Maverick's enemies: Johnson would help defeat Maverick if Maverick's enemies would back Johnson for Senate.[citation needed] DuringWorld War II, he worked for theOffice of Price Administration and theOffice of Personnel Management, and served on theWar Production Board and the Smaller War Plants Corporation.
While serving at the Smaller War Plants Corporation he sent a message to his staff telling them[3]
Memoranda should be as short as clearness will allow... Put the subject matter--the point--and even the conclusion in the opening paragraph and the whole story on one page... Stay off thegobbledygook language. It only fouls people up...
After the war, he practiced law in San Antonio.
Maverick was a cousin of congressmenAbram Poindexter Maury andJohn W. Fishburne ofVirginia and nephew of congressmanJames Luther Slayden ofTexas, who married Ellen (Maury) at a Maury home calledPiedmont in Charlottesville, Virginia, now part of theUniversity of Virginia. They are related toMatthew Fontaine Maury,Dabney Herndon Maury, and the early and prominent Fontaine, Dabney, Brooke, Minor, Mercer, Herndon, Slaughter, and Slayden families of Virginia, Tennessee, and Texas.
He married Terrell Louise Dobbs and had a daughter and a son, San Antonio newspaper editorialistMaury Maverick, Jr. (who died in 2003 at the age of 82).
Maverick died on June 7, 1954. His widow later married the distinguished Texas author and historianWalter Prescott Webb.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by District created | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 20th congressional district 1935–1939 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Mayor of San Antonio, Texas 1939–1941 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
