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Jim Mattox | |
|---|---|
 Mattox in 1979 | |
| 47th Attorney General of Texas | |
| In office January 18, 1983 – January 15, 1991 | |
| Governor | Mark White Bill Clements |
| Preceded by | Mark White |
| Succeeded by | Dan Morales |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's5th district | |
| In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1983 | |
| Preceded by | Alan Steelman |
| Succeeded by | John Bryant |
| Member of theTexas House of Representatives from the 33—K district | |
| In office January 14, 1973 – January 11, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | David Cain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Albon Mattox (1943-08-29)August 29, 1943 |
| Died | November 20, 2008(2008-11-20) (aged 65) Dripping Springs, Texas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Texas State Cemetery |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Marta Jan Karpan |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Baylor University (AB) Southern Methodist University (JD) |
James Albon Mattox (August 29, 1943 – November 20, 2008) was an Americanlawyer andpolitician who served in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1983 and as theattorney general of Texas from 1983 to 1991. He lost high-profile races forgovernor in1990, theU.S. Senate in1994, and again as attorney general in 1998. He was a member of theDemocratic Party.[1]
In 1961, Mattox graduated in Dallas fromWoodrow Wilson High School. He received hisBachelor of Arts in 1965 fromBaylor University inWaco and hisjuris doctor degree from theSouthern Methodist UniversityDedman School of Law.
Considered a politicalliberal Mattox was elected to Congress from theFifth Congressional District in 1976, 1978, and 1980. In his first election, running on theJimmy Carter-Walter F. Mondale ticket, he defeated formerDallas MayorWes Wise, 60.9 to 33.9%.[2]
In 1983, Mattox was indicted forcommercial bribery and prosecuted byTravis CountyDistrict AttorneyRonnie Earle, a Democrat close to the late GovernorAnn Richards. Earle later prosecuted the Republican congressional leaderTom DeLay. Like the DeLay prosecution, the political background of the Mattox prosecution related to an attempt to conceal the delivery of corporate funds to an election campaign. Mattox had received a campaign contribution of $125,000 from his sister Janice, a Dallas lawyer. Janice Mattox, in turn, had obtained a similar amount from Seafirst Bank inSeattle, which had close ties to Mattox supporterClinton Manges, a controversialSouth Texas rancher-oilman who was the successor toGeorge Parr, the corrupt "Duke ofDuval". Manges was co-plaintiff with the state (represented by Mattox) in major litigation againstMobil Oil Company. Mobil had attempted to depose Janice Mattox concerning the Seafirst transaction, which led Mattox to threaten Mobil's law firm,Fulbright & Jaworski, with loss of its tax-exempt bond practice, a power held by the attorney general in Texas. Secretly recorded by the recipient of the threats, Mattox did not deny threatening the law firm, nor did he deny the Seafirst transactions, his defense being based on the legal definition of the crime of "commercial bribery". After a long trial, Mattox was acquitted.
His aggressive attacks on alleged wrongdoing by corporations gained him considerable popular support.
In 1989, Mattox was inducted into the Woodrow Wilson High School Hall of Fame.
In 1990, Mattox chose not to seek re-election to a third term as attorney general and sought the Democraticgubernatorial nomination. He alleged that his principal opponent, outgoing StateTreasurerAnn Richards, had usedcocaine and was a recoveringalcoholic who might falter in handling the strains associated with being governor. Mattox went into arunoff election with Richards because the third contender, former Governor Mark White, polled enough votes to keep both Mattox and Richards from winning an outright majority. Due to publicity exposing Mattox's aggressive tactics used in Corporate attacks to bolster his support, Richards went on to win the nomination and the election, very narrowly, over RepublicanbusinessmanClayton Wheat Williams, Jr., ofMidland.
In 1994, Mattox ran for the U.S. Senate, but he eventually lost the Democratic nomination toRichard W. Fisher, who had been aRoss Perot operative in the 1992 presidential election. Fisher was also the son-in-law of formerThird District Republican CongressmanJames M. Collins of Dallas. Collins lost the 1982 senatorial general election to Lloyd Bentsen. Fisher was then defeated in the November 1994 general election by the freshman Republican SenatorKay Bailey Hutchison.
In 1998, Mattox tried to return to the attorney general's position, but lost thegeneral election to RepublicanJohn Cornyn, a former member of theTexas Supreme Court. Cornyn polled 2,002,794 votes (54.25 percent) to Mattox's 1,631,045 ballots (44.18 percent). (A third candidate received 1.56 percent.) Cornyn had defeated two other candidates for the Republican nomination as attorney general, outgoingTexas Railroad CommissionerBarry Williamson and Mattox's old rival, Tom Pauken. Cornyn became the first Republican ever elected as attorney general of Texas. Four years later, Cornyn vacated that office to become one of Texas's two U.S. senators.
Five days before his death, Jim Mattox testified to a Texas Democratic Party Committee on the Party's method of awarding presidential delegates based on a primary vote plus evening caucuses. Mattox said the system, known as theTexas Two-Step, was an embarrassment to the party. "Now let me tell you, folks," Mattox said. "This system we've got is an expensive system. It's an unintelligible system. It is an acrimonious system across the board. It is subject to misconduct, it is subject to fraud, it is subject to manipulation. It's unfair, it's uncertain, it's inaccurate, and it's an embarrassment to our party."
In 2008, Mattox worked inHillary Clinton's unsuccessful bid for the Democraticpresidentialnomination. He died eight months thereafter at the age of 65 of a heart attack in his sleep at his home inDripping Springs inHays County west of Austin.
Mattox's body lay in repose at the Texas House of Representatives chamber inside theTexas Capitol rotunda on Monday, November 24, 2008. Services were held on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at the First Baptist Church, 901 Trinity Street in Austin. He is interred at theTexas State Cemetery, 909 Navasota Street in Austin.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forTexas Attorney General 1982, 1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Dan Morales | Democratic nominee forTexas Attorney General 1998 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | United States Representative for the 5th Congressional District of Texas 1977–1983 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Texas January 18, 1983 – January 15, 1991 | Succeeded by |
  | Republic of Texas (1836–45) | |
|---|---|---|
| State of Texas (1846–present) |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
