John Emmett Lyle Jr. (September 4, 1910 – November 11, 2003) was a U.S. Representative from Texas.

John Emmett Lyle Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 14th district
In office
January 3, 1945 (1945-01-03) – January 3, 1955 (1955-01-03)
Preceded byRichard M. Kleberg
Succeeded byJohn J. Bell
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
In office
1941–1944
Personal details
Born(1910-09-04)September 4, 1910
Boyd, Texas, US
DiedNovember 11, 2003(2003-11-11) (aged 93)
Houston, Texas, US
Resting placeTexas State Cemetery, Austin
Political partyDemocratic Party
Spouses
Gertrude Swanner
(m. 1937)
  • Nadine Lyle (m. c. 1955)
Residences
Alma mater
  • University of Texas
  • Houston Law School
ProfessionLawyer
CommitteesHouse Post Office and Civil Service Committee
AwardsPurple Heart
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Years of service1942–1944
RankCaptain (United States O-3)[3]
Battles/wars
[1][2]

Early life

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A third generation Texan born in Boyd, Texas, Lyle graduated from Wichita Falls High School, Wichita Falls, Texas. He attended the Junior College at Wichita Falls, the University of Texas (working as a night watchman in the Capitol basement), and the Houston Law School at night.[2] He was admitted to the bar in 1934, and entered private practice in Corpus Christi.[1]

Political career

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Lyle served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1941 to 1944. He was in the United States Army from 1942 to 1944; when he won the Democratic primary for renomination in 1942, he was an active duty Captain of artillery in Italy.[3]

He was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-ninth and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1955), enjoying strong support from the Parr family of Duval County. He was not a candidate for renomination to Congress in 1954.

He was a staunch anti-communist and was the chief witness against the two times Chairman of the Federal Power Commission, Leland Olds, when Olds was blocked by the Senate from reappointment largely on the grounds that Olds had previously been close to the Communist Party.[4]

Later Life

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Lyle was a director of Falcon Seaboard and of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas. He was appointed to the Federal Council on Aging in 1994.

He died on November 11, 2003, in Houston and was interred in Texas State Cemetery, Austin, Texas.

Sources

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  1. ^ a b Guttery, Ben R. (2001). Representing Texas : a comprehensive history of U.S. and Confederate senators and representatives from Texas (First ed.). Austin, Texas: Eakin Press. ISBN 1571685243. LCCN 2001023278. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
  2. ^ a b "John Emmett Lyle". Texas State Cemetery. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
  3. ^ a b "Army Man Wins Texas Election. Representative Kleberg defeated by Captain". The Tuscaloosa News. Vol. 126, no. 176. Dallas, Texas. Associated Press. July 24, 1944. p. 1. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
  4. ^ Robert A. Caro (2002). Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson. ch. 10-12. ISBN 0-394-52836-0.

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Texas's 14th congressional district

January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1955
Succeeded by