Earle Cabell

Earle Cabell (October 27, 1906 – September 24, 1975) was an American politician who served as the 48th mayor of Dallas from 1961 to 1964. Cabell was mayor at the time of the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy and was later a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Earle Cabell
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 5th district
In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1973
Preceded by	Bruce Reynolds Alger
Succeeded by	Alan Steelman
48th Mayor of Dallas
In office May 1, 1961 – February 3, 1964
Preceded by	Robert L. Thornton
Succeeded by	J. Erik Jonsson
Personal details
Born	(1906-10-27)October 27, 1906 Dallas County, Texas, U.S.
Died	September 24, 1975(1975-09-24) (aged 68) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Elizabeth “Dearie” Holder ​ ​ (m. 1932)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Ben E. Cabell Sadie E. Pearre
Relatives	William L. Cabell (grandfather) Charles P. Cabell (brother)
Alma mater	Texas A&M University Southern Methodist University
Occupation	Politician

Early life

Cabell was born in Dallas. He graduated from North Dallas High School in 1925. He attended Texas A&M University for one term, where he met Jack Crichton and H.R. "Bum" Bright, and thereafter Southern Methodist University for one term.^[1]

He and his brothers founded Cabell's Inc., a chain of dairies and convenience stores. He later became involved with banking and other investments. In April 1961, he was elected mayor to succeed Robert L. Thornton.^{[citation needed]}

Cabell was a member of the Dallas Crusade for Freedom.^[2]

Family

Cabell was the youngest of four sons of the then former Dallas Mayor Ben E. Cabell and also the grandson of the former Dallas Mayor and Confederate General William L. Cabell.^[3] He was the brother of Charles Cabell, who was deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1953 to 1962.^[4]

Mayor of Dallas

In October 1961 President Kennedy flew to Dallas but when he arrived at the airport he was greeted only by the Dallas chief of police. Cabell claimed he was too busy to meet Kennedy and the White House was reportedly "steaming over the official brush-off".^[5]

Cabell and his wife met United States President John F. Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy at Love Field on the morning of November 22, 1963.^[6] Cabell's wife reported that while riding in Kennedy's motorcade through Dealey Plaza, she observed "a rather long looking thing" sticking out of a window of the Texas School Book Depository immediately after the first shot.^[7] After receiving word from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he was the subject of a death threat, Cabell was guarded by police when he traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend Kennedy's funeral and also upon his return to Dallas.^[8]

One version of John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories, the "Renegade CIA Clique" theory, implicates Cabell and other alleged conspirators, including CIA officials James Jesus Angleton, William King Harvey, and Cabell's brother Charles Cabell, who had been fired by Kennedy following the Bay of Pigs Invasion.^[9] This theory claims that Earle Cabell re-routed Kennedy's motorcade as a favor to his brother.^[9]

In 2017, documents declassified under the JFK Records Act revealed that Cabell had been a CIA asset since 1956.^[10]

Congress

On February 3, 1964, Cabell resigned as mayor of Dallas in order to run for Congress. He unseated the ten-year Republican incumbent Bruce Alger. Cabell served four terms in the House before he was defeated by Republican Alan Steelman in the 1972 election. Cabell voted in favor of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.^[11][12]

Later life

Following his defeat, he retired in Dallas, where he lived until his death in 1975 from emphysema. He was buried at Restland Cemetery in Dallas.^[13]

Legacy

The Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse on Commerce Street in Dallas is named in his honor.^[14]