Was Barnes even Speaker of the Texas House in 1967 or 1968? My understanding is that he was either ambassador to NATO (1967) or the U.N. in Geneva (1968), and may not have even been in the country.
Is that correct?
He was Speaker of the House then, but the legislature only meets in odd numbered years so he wouldn't have been around to do what he claimed he did in 1968 either. Virtually all legislators have other jobs that they do for the year and a half in between sessions. It is doubtful that Barnes was even in Austin.
Elected to the Texas House of Representatives when he was in his early 20's, he went on to become the youngest house speaker in Texas history. He served as lieutenant governor from 1969 to 1973.
Barnes was UN Rep to Geneva (Swiss) in 1968. Barnes was elected Lt-Governor of Texas in 1969. Refer to: http://www.klru.org/texasmonthlytalks/archives/barnes/bio.asp
- mwd
Houston, TX
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/SS/mqs1.html
Barnes was one of two central unindicted co-conspirators in a major scandal that swept the Texas government in 1971 (the other being the Governor). He got booted out of office over it and probably should have been indicted.
Interestingly enough one of the State Reps. who was responsible for blowing the whistle on Barnes & Co. was Republican Tom Craddick - our current Speaker of the House.