Ben Barnes
De Leon, The Heart of Texas
From his humble roots as the son of a De Leon peanut farmer, former Lt. Gov. of Texas Ben Barnes eventually became one of the most powerful men in Texas, and even had the ear of a President. Barnes’s vision for America formed when he witnessed firsthand the benefits of FDR’s New Deal, particularly the Rural Electrification Administration, which brought power to De Leon and millions of other farmers across the country.
On a list of noteworthy Texans, the politician Ben Barnes ranks high. Barnes' political career peaked in the last decades of Democratic rule in Texas, before the state became synonymous with the Republican Party. A prodigious talent, Ben Barnes was elected to the Texas House of Representatives at the age of 22. In the late 1960s, Barnes was the youngest Speaker of the House in the state's history. In 1969 he was elected Lieutenant Governor, serving until 1973. Ben Barnes’ fast rise in Texas politics would not have been possible without ambition, will, and a determination to make lasting changes in the state.
Ben Barnes, politician stepped down from power in 1973, but he continued to work as a lobbyist and consultant for the business community, even sitting on several corporate boards. No content to sit on his laurels, Ben Barnes has also been active in charitable causes and education related philanthropy, including the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation, Patient Privacy Rights, and the Boys & Girls Clubs.
Ben Barnes recounted his remarkable story in his political memoir Barn Burning Barn Building. In this insider’s account of the rough and tumble world of Texas politics, Barnes reveals private conversations, deal-making, and coalition building with such Texas political legends as Governor John Connally, Texas House Speaker Sam Rayburn, and President Lyndon B. Johnson. Ben Barnes also creates a vision of how the Democratic Party can renew itself and take back the state of Texas from the Republicans.