Price Daniel Jr.

Marion Price Daniel III (June 8, 1941 – January 19, 1981) was a United States politician from Texas who served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from 1973 to 1975.

Price Daniel Jr.
Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
In office
January 14, 1973 – January 14, 1975
Preceded byRayford Price
Succeeded byBill W. Clayton
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 16th district
In office
January 9, 1973 – January 14, 1975
Preceded byRayford Price
Succeeded byPerry A. Tanner, Jr.
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 6th district
In office
January 14, 1969 – January 9, 1973
Preceded byDavid William Crews
Succeeded byArthur 'Buddy' Temple
Personal details
Born
Marion Price Daniel Jr.

(1941-06-08)June 8, 1941
Austin, Texas, U.S.
DiedJanuary 19, 1981(1981-01-19) (aged 39)
Liberty County, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)
Diane Ford Wommack
​
(
m. 1966; div. 1975)

Vickie Loretha Carroll Moore
(
m. 1976)
Children3
ProfessionAttorney

Early life

Daniel was a Texas state politician, born in Austin on June 8, 1941, into a political dynasty that dated back to his great-great-great grandparents Sam Houston and Margaret Lea Houston. At the time of his birth, his father Marion Price Daniel Sr. was a state representative who eventually rose to the office of Governor of Texas. Daniel Sr. also served as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, as United States Senator and Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court. His mother Jean Houston Baldwin, a member of both the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and the Daughters of the American Revolution, was a direct descendant of Sam and Margaret Lea Houston.[1] Daniel Sr.'s brother William Partlow Daniel,[2] also served in the Texas House of Representatives and had been appointed Governor of the U.S. Territory of Guam by President John F. Kennedy.

He was raised in Austin and followed the political career of his father. By age twelve, he was making speeches on his father's behalf. He graduated from Austin High School in 1959, Baylor University in 1964, and Baylor Law School in 1966. While still enrolled in the university, Daniel started a mail-order book business[3] that specialized in rare books of Texas history.

Political career

After receiving his law degree, Daniel moved to Liberty, Texas, and began his legal practice there, where he was also elected Justice of the Peace for Liberty County.[4] In 1968, at age 27, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives from the same seat his father had held from 1939 to 1945.

After the fallout from the Sharpstown scandal, with those connected being voted out of office, there was a 50% turnover in both houses of the Texas Legislature. On January 9, 1973, Price Jr. was unanimously[5] elected[6] Speaker of the House.

Under Daniel's leadership, the reform-minded Sixty-third Texas Legislature passed new ethics, financial disclosure, and open-records laws. The Legislature also updated and strengthened open-meetings, and lobbying laws. He believed that it should be illegal for the speaker to offer favors or make threats in order to get votes. Because of the great power of the office, Daniel believed that no speaker should be elected for more than one term, and consequently he did not seek reelection in 1974. There had been talk of Price Jr. running for Governor in 1974,[7] but he was apparently not interested.

Price Jr. served as president of the 1974 Texas Constitutional Convention, the first since the Constitution was established in 1876.[8] He relented on a right-to-work compromise to appease the conservatives, and in doing so, lost his base of the liberal labor force. The 1974 convention to revise the state constitution was not a success. Further alienating his support base, Price Jr held a press conference blaming organized labor, and specifically what he saw as its manipulation of racial minority delegates, for the convention's failure.

In 1978, Daniel unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for Texas Attorney General,[9] losing to eventual general election winner Mark White.

Personal life and death

Daniel was married twice. He married politically connected Diane Ford Wommack on April 4, 1966.[10] Diane was a descendant of Texas Governor (1907–1911) Thomas Mitchell Campbell. Diane gave birth to his son Thomas Houston Campbell Daniel. Their divorce was final November 26, 1975.[11]

His second wife was Dairy Queen waitress Vickie Loretha Carroll Moore. Vickie and husband Larry Dale Moore were divorced on August 16, 1976. Price and Vickie were married November 1, 1976.[12] Vickie gave birth to two sons by Price, Franklin Baldwin Daniel and Marion Price Daniel, IV. One month after Price declared his candidacy for Texas Attorney General, Vickie filed for divorce on October 22, 1977, but apparently withdrew the petition. In May 1980, Price re-wrote his will, cutting Vickie out. December 31 of that year, Vickie once again filed for divorce, even though she and Price continued to share a house with separate quarters. Price was served with divorce papers on January 15, 1981. On January 19, Price returned home where he was allegedly shot and killed by Vickie.[13]

After a 10-hour session involving 22 people, the Liberty County grand jury returned an indictment of murder against Mrs. Daniel.[14] At the time of her indictment, she had not yet been questioned by authorities about the events leading up to her husband's death, nor had she testified before the grand jury. Vickie was represented by flamboyant legal legend Richard "Racehorse" Haynes[15] and was acquitted on October 30, 1981.[16] The shooting and Vickie Daniel's murder trial were the subject of a 1987 book, Deadly Blessings and a 1992 made-for-television film, Bed of Lies.

Houston family tree

Marion Price Daniel Jr. was a direct descendant of Sam Houston and his wife Margaret Lea Houston through his mother Jean Houston Baldwin Daniel, as noted by the family tree below.

Bibliography
  • Seale, William (1992) [1970]. Sam Houston's Wife: A Biography of Margaret Lea Houston. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-2436-0.
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References
  1. "Jean Houston Baldwin Daniel". Texas Woman's University. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  2. Hunt, Alan (21 June 2006). "Baylor Mourns Death of Legendary Baylor Law Grad". Baylor University.
  3. Murph: Price Daniel Jr from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 6 June 2010. Texas State Historical Association
  4. "Price Daniel Jr. New Liberty JP". Baytown, Texas: The Baytown Sun. June 9, 1966. p. 19. Retrieved October 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Cox, Patrick L; Phillips, Michael (2010). The House Will Come to Order: How the Texas Speaker Became a Power in State and National Politics. University of Texas Press. pp. 108–116. ISBN 978-0-292-72205-7.
  6. "Daniel Urges Strong Reform". The Victoria Advocate. 22 May 1973.
  7. "Daniel Getting Push To Run for Governor". The Victoria Advocate. 16 July 1973.
  8. Untermeyer, Chase (February 1975). "Give Me Liberty". Texas Monthly. Texas Monthly (1975 February).; McCrory, James (October 4, 1975). "Foes of constitution attacked by Daniel". San Antonio, Texas: San Antonio Express. p. 3. Retrieved October 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. Kidd, Bill (8 May 1977). "Price Daniel Jr. Regrouping". The Victoria Advocate.
  10. "Miss Dianne Wommack Becomes Bride of Price Daniel Jr. in Austin Rites". Baytown, Texas: The Baytown Sun. April 19, 1966. p. 19. Retrieved October 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Divorce Suit Names Price Daniel Jr". Harlingen, Texas: Valley Morning Star. November 23, 1974. p. 10. Retrieved October 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Cochran, Mike (19 March 1981). "Unlikely Marriage as a Tragic Ending". The Free Lance Star.
  13. "Price Daniel Jr Shot Monday". The Tuscaloosa News. 20 January 1981.
  14. "Wife Indicted in Price Daniel's Death". The Bulletin. 29 January 1981.
  15. Vile, John R (2001). Great American Lawyers: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 350–356. ISBN 978-1-57607-202-8.
  16. "Vickie Daniel Found Innocent in Shooting of Husband". Ocala Star Banner. 1 November 1981.

Further reading
Texas House of Representatives
Preceded by
David Crews		 Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from District 6 (Liberty)
1969–1973		 Succeeded by
Arthur "Buddy" Temple
Preceded by
Rayford Price		 Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from District 16 (Liberty)
1973–1975		 Succeeded by
Perry A. Tanner Jr.
Political offices
Preceded by
Rayford Price		 Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
1973–1975		 Succeeded by
Bill W. Clayton
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