Earle Cabell
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 1961 – February 3, 1964 | |
Preceded by | Robert L. Thornton |
Succeeded by | J. Erik Jonsson |
Personal details | |
Born | Dallas County, Texas | October 27, 1906
Died | September 24, 1975 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | (aged 68)
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Parents | 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 |
Earle Cabell (October 27, 1906 – September 24, 1975) was a Texas politician who served as mayor of Dallas, Texas. 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.
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Early life
Cabell was born in Dallas. He attended Texas A&M University, where he met Jack Crichton and H.R. "Bum" Bright, and thereafter Southern Methodist University. After returning from college, he founded, along with his brothers, Cabell's Inc., a chain of dairies and convenience stores. He later became involved with banking and other investments. May 1961, he was elected mayor to succeed Robert L. Thornton.
Family
Cabell was the youngest of 4 sons of the then former Dallas Mayor Ben E. Cabell and also the grandson of the former Dallas Mayor William L. Cabell. He was the brother of Charles Cabell, who was deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency until Charles was fired in the wake of the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Assassination of Kennedy
Cabell and his wife met United States President John F. Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy at Love Field on the morning of November 22, 1963.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]
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.[4] This theory claims Earle Cabell re-routed Kennedy's motorcade as a favor to his brother.[4]
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. In that same election, Jack Crichton was defeated by a wide margin by the Democratic Texas Governor John B. Connally, Jr., and George Herbert Walker Bush fell to United States Senator Ralph W. Yarborough. Cabell served four terms in the House before he was defeated by the Republican Alan Steelman in the 1972 election.
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.[5]
Legacy
The Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse on Commerce Street in Dallas is named in his honor.[6]
References
- ^ "JFK's Arrival in Dallas". University of Texas Arlington Libraries Special Collections. library.uta.edu/. "Howdy, Mr. President!"; A Fort Worth Perspective of JFK. Arlington, Texas: The University of Texas at Arlington. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ "Eyewitness Stories of Kennedy Slaying Among Most Telling Evidence". Chicago Tribune. 118 (272). AP. September 28, 1964. Section 1, page 7. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ "Probe Reports Dallas School Kids Cheered; Move Pastor to Place of Safety". Chicago Tribune. 116 (332). November 28, 1963. Section 1, page 14. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ a b Catchpole, Terry (January 17, 1992). "Nine JFK assassination theories". Entertainment. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ^ "Political Graveyard, Dallas County, TX". Political Graveyard. 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
- ^ "Court Tours". United States District Court | Northern District of Texas. Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
External links
- United States Congress. "Earle Cabell (id: C000002)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Robert L. Thornton |
Mayor of Dallas
Earle Cabell |
Succeeded by Erik Jonsson |
U.S. House of Representatives | ||
Preceded by Bruce Reynolds Alger (R) |
United States Representative for the 5th Congressional District of Texas
Earle Cabell (D) |
Succeeded by Alan Watson Steelman (R) |
- 1906 births
- 1975 deaths
- Deaths from emphysema
- American businesspeople in retailing
- Mayors of Dallas
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
- Texas Democrats
- Texas A&M University alumni
- Witnesses to the assassination of John F. Kennedy
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- 20th-century American politicians