Ben Barnes (Texas politician)
Ben Barnes | |
|---|---|
Barnes in 2019 | |
| 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas | |
| In office January 21, 1969 – January 16, 1973 | |
| Governor | Preston Smith |
| Preceded by | Preston Smith |
| Succeeded by | William P. Hobby Jr. |
| Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives | |
| In office January 12, 1965 – January 14, 1969 | |
| Preceded by | Byron M. Tunnell |
| Succeeded by | Gus F. Mutscher |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 64th district | |
| In office January 8, 1963 – January 14, 1969 | |
| Preceded by | O.H. Schram |
| Succeeded by | Lynn Nabers |
| Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 73rd district | |
| In office January 10, 1961 – January 8, 1963 | |
| Preceded by | Ben Sudderth |
| Succeeded by | Richard C. Slack |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Benny Frank Barnes April 17, 1938 Gorman, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Martha Morgan
(m. 1957, divorced)Nancy DeGraffenried (divorced)Melanie Harper
(m. 1989, divorced)Liz McDermott (m. 2019) |
| Children | 2 (with Martha Morgan) 2 adopted (with Melanie Harper) |
| Residence(s) | Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Texas at Austin (BA) |
| Profession | Real estate investor, politician, crisis manager |
Benny Frank Barnes (born April 17, 1938) is an American real estate magnate, politician, and crisis manager who served as the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from 1965 to 1969 and as the 36th lieutenant governor of Texas from 1969 to 1973. He was a vice-chair, as well as top fund-raiser, of John Kerry's presidential campaign. Barnes was also one of only eight persons who raised over $500,000 for Kerry.