Ray Roberts | |
|---|---|
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| Chair of theHouse Veterans' Affairs Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Speaker | Carl Albert Tip O'Neill |
| Preceded by | William Jennings Bryan Dorn |
| Succeeded by | Sonny Montgomery |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's4th district | |
| In office January 30, 1962 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Sam Rayburn |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Hall |
| Member of theTexas Senate from the9th district | |
| In office 1955–1962 | |
| Preceded by | Joe Russell |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Hall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Herbert Ray Roberts (1913-03-28)March 28, 1913 Collin County, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | April 13, 1992(1992-04-13) (aged 79) Denton, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Texas A&M University North Texas State University University of Texas |
Herbert Ray Roberts (March 28, 1913 – April 13, 1992) was an AmericanDemocratic politician who representedTexas's 4th congressional district from 1962 to 1981.
Roberts was born in ruralCollin County, Texas in 1913. He grew up in the ranching town ofWestminster, Texas, just outside McKinney.
Roberts graduated from McKinney High School. He attendedTexas A&M University and North Texas State University (now theUniversity of North Texas) before earning a bachelor's degree inagribusiness. Roberts earned his master's degree from theUniversity of Texas. He served in theUnited States Navy from 1942 to 1945. He was the final individual off theUSS Hornet when it sank at theBattle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October 1942. Later, he saw active duty in theKorean War while as a member of theU.S. Naval Reserve.
Roberts was on the staff of Speaker of the HouseSam Rayburn of Texas, working in Washington, D.C., between 1941 and 1942 before going on active duty inWorld War II. After the war, he worked as a farmer and entered into agribusiness. He was a member of the Texas State Senate from 1955 to 1961, serving as the president pro tempore of the body in 1961.
Roberts was elected as a Democrat to the Eighty-seventh Congress, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the death ofSam Rayburn. He was re-elected to the nine succeeding Congresses, serving from January 30, 1962, to January 3, 1981.
On November 22, 1963, Roberts was in the Dallas motorcade when PresidentJohn F. Kennedy wasassassinated. He was riding in the same car as the Dallas MayorEarl Cabell, and the mayor's wife. Their car was four cars behind the limousine carrying JFK. The family of Ray Roberts can confirm that theWarren Commission or any other of its investigation personnel never asked Roberts a single question about the shooting. When Mrs. Cabell testified to the Warren Commission, she stated that shortly after the shots ended Roberts first said, "That is a .30-06." (with Roberts meaning the shot(s) he could hear sounded like they were fired from a.30-06 type of rifle) and that Roberts had told her that he had also smelled the distinct odor of gun smoke (as did Mrs. Cabell and several other motorcade participants and witnesses who were all located down at street level, which was up-wind from theTexas School Book Depository, and 61' to 82' below and varying distances away from its sixth floor)[1]
Roberts was chair of theCommittee on Veterans’ Affairs from 1975 through 1981. He did not run for re-election in 1980.
Lake Ray Roberts is named after the Congressman.
His official documents from his years in office both in the Texas State Senate as well as the U.S. House of Representatives can be found in the archives at Texas A&M-Commerce, which used to be known as East Texas State University.
His only brother was Roy Geldon Roberts Sr. of Plano.
| Texas Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | Texas State Senator from District 9 (McKinney) 1955–1962 | Succeeded by Ralph Hall |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 4th congressional district 1962–1981 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Bryan Dorn South Carolina | Chairman of theHouse Veterans' Affairs Committee 1975–1981 | Succeeded by Sonny Montgomery Mississippi |
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