56th Texas Legislature

The 56th Texas Legislature met from January 13, 1959, to May 7, 1959, and in three special sessions from May to August of that same year. All members present during this session were elected in the 1958 general elections.

Sessions

Regular Session: January 13, 1959 – May 12, 1959

1st Called Session: May 18, 1959 – June 16, 1959

2nd Called Session: June 17, 1959 – July 16, 1959

3rd Called Session: July 17, 1959 – Aug 6, 1959

Party summary

Senate

Affiliation		Members	Note
	Democratic Party	31
Total		31

House

Affiliation		Members	Note
	Democratic Party	150
Total		150

Officers

Senate

• Lieutenant Governor: Ben Ramsey (D)
• President Pro Tempore: George Parkhouse (D), Rudolph A. Weinert (D),

Jarrard Secrest (D), Andrew J. “Andy” Rogers (D), Abraham “Chick” Kazen (D), Frank Owen, III (D)

House

• Speaker of the House: Waggoner Carr (D)

Members

Senate

Dist. 1 Howard A. Carney (D), Atlanta Dist. 2 Wardlow Lane (D), Center Dist. 3 Martin Dies, Jr. (D), Lufkin Dist. 4 Jep Fuller (D), Port Arthur Dist. 5 Neveille H. Colson (D), Navasota Dist. 6 Robert W. Baker (D), Houston Dist. 7 Bill D. Wood (D), Tyler Dist. 8 George M. Parkhouse (D), Dallas Dist. 9 Ray Roberts (D), McKinney Dist. 10 Doyle Willis (D), Fort Worth

Dist. 11 William T. "Bill" Moore (D), Bryan Dist. 12 Crawford Martin (D), Hillsboro Dist. 13 Jarrard Secrest (D), Temple Dist. 14 Charles F. Herring (D), Austin Dist. 15 Culp Krueger (D), El Campo Dist. 16 Louis Crump (D), San Saba Dist. 17 Jimmy Phillips (D), Angleton Dist. 18 William S. Fly (D), Victoria Dist. 19 Rudolph A. Weinert (D), Seguin Dist. 20 Bruce Reagan (D), Corpus Christi

Dist. 21 Abraham Kazen (D), Laredo Dist. 22 Wayne Wagonseller (D), Stoneburg Dist. 23 George Moffett (D), Chillicothe Dist. 24 David Ratliff (D), Stamford Dist. 25 Dorsey B. Hardeman (D), San Angelo Dist. 26 Henry B. Gonzalez (D), San Antonio Dist. 27 Hubert R. Hudson (D), Brownsville Dist. 28 Preston Smith (D), Lubbock Dist. 29 Frank Owen, III (D), El Paso Dist. 30 Andrew J. "Andy" Rogers (D), Childress Dist. 31 Grady Hazlewood (D), Amarillo

House

The House was composed of 149 Democrats and one Independent.^[a][1]

House members included future Congressmen Robert Eckhardt, Kika de la Garza and Joe Pool, as well as future Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock, future Texas Attorney General Waggoner Carr, and future Land Commissioner Jerry Sadler.

Notes

1. Representative Howard Green had been elected to previous legislatures as an Independent, but he served as an Independent during this legislature.