O. C. Fisher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's21st district | |
| In office January 3, 1943 – December 31, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Charles L. South |
| Succeeded by | Bob Krueger |
| District attorney Texas 51st Judicial District | |
| In office 1937–1943 | |
| Member Texas House of Representatives 53rd District | |
| In office 1935–1937 | |
| County Attorney Tom Green County | |
| In office 1931–1935 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ovie Clark Fisher (1903-11-22)November 22, 1903 Junction, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 1994(1994-12-09) (aged 91) Junction, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Junction Cemetery Junction, Texas |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Marian E. De Walsh |
| Children | Rhoda |
| Residence | San Angelo, Texas |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at AustinBaylor Law School |
| Profession | Attorney |
Ovie Clark Fisher (November 22, 1903 – December 9, 1994) was an attorney and non-academic historian who served for 32 years as theU.S. representative forTexas's 21st congressional district.
Fisher was born inJunction inKimble County,Texas to Jobe Bazilee and Rhoda Catherine Clark Fisher.[1] He married Marian E. De Walsh on September 11, 1927. A daughter named Rhoda was the couple's only child.
Fisher attendedUniversity of Texas at Austin,University of Colorado at Boulder, andBaylor University atWaco, from which he received his LL.B.[2] He was admitted to thebar in 1929.
Fisher practiced law inSan Angelo inWest Texas for two years.[3] In 1931, he was electedcounty attorney forTom Green County.
Fisher represented the 53rd District of Texas in theTexas House of Representatives[4] from 1935 to 1937. From 1937 to 1943, Fisher was District Attorney for the 51st Judicial District of Texas.[5]
In 1942, he was elected to theUnited States House of Representatives[6] as aDemocrat and served in the78th Congress[7] to the93rd Congress. He was reelected 14 times, only facing nominal opposition the first 13 times.
In 1972, however,RepublicanDoug Harlan held Fisher to 57 percent of thegeneral election vote despite spending almost no money. Paul Burka ofTexas Monthly said Harlan's success was "one of the first indications that the dominance of the rural conservative Democrats in Texas politics could not be sustained." With Harlan priming for a rematch in 1974, Fisher opted against a 16th term.[8]
Fisher was one of five U.S. representatives from Texas to sign the "Southern Manifesto"[9] in protest of theUS Supreme Court's decision inBrown v. Board of Education.[10] Fisher voted against theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[11] theCivil Rights Acts of 1960,[12] theCivil Rights Acts of 1964,[13] and theCivil Rights Acts of 1968[14] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution[15] and theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[16]
After heart surgery[17] in 1973, Fisher announced that he would not be stand for re-election in 1974.[18] His party nominatedRobert Krueger as his successor, who defeated Harlan, who made his second and last race for Congress.
Fisher died on December 9, 1994.[19]
Baylor University is the repository for the O.C. Fisher Papers.[20]
In 1975, San Angelo Lake, a reservoir managed by theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers was renamedO.C. Fisher Reservoir in his honor.[21]San Angelo State Park[22] is on the shores of the reservoir.
Fisher had membership in the following organizations:[23]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 21st congressional district January 3, 1943 - December 31, 1974 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
| People | |
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