Daniel James Moody Jr.
30th Governor of Texas
In office January 17, 1927 – January 15, 1931
Preceded by	Miriam A. Ferguson
Succeeded by	Ross S. Sterling
Texas Attorney General
In office January, 1925 – January, 1927
Preceded by	Walter Angus Keeling
Succeeded by	Claude Pollard
District Attorney Williamson County
In office 1922–1925
Personal details
Born	(1893-06-01)June 1, 1893 Taylor, Texas
Died	May 22, 1966(1966-05-22) (aged 72) Austin, Texas
Resting place	Texas State Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mildred Paxton Moody
Alma mater	University of Texas Law School
Profession	Attorney
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army Texas National Guard
Rank	2nd Lieutenant and Captain (Guard) 2nd Lieutenant (Army)
Battles/wars	World War I

Daniel James Moody, Jr. (June 1, 1893 – May 22, 1966), was a Democratic political figure, originally from Taylor, Texas, USA. He served as the 30th Governor of Texas between 1927 and 1931. At the age of thirty-three, he was elected and took office as the youngest governor in Texas history.

Family background and early life[link]

Moody Jr. was born on June 1, 1893 in Taylor, Texas. He was the son of Taylor's mayor-justice of the peace-school board chairman Daniel James Moody Sr. who was one of the town's first settlers in 1876. His mother Nannie Elizabeth Robertson was a local school teacher when Moody Sr. married her in 1890. Moody Jr. was an alumnus of the University of Texas Law School, and became a member of the State Bar of Texas at the age of 21, in 1914. During World War I, Moody served in both the Texas National Guard as first a 2nd Lieutenant and then Captain, and also the United States Army as a 2nd Lieutenant.^[1]

Public service[link]

In 1920, Moody Jr. served as Williamson County Attorney, a position he held for two years before becoming District Attorney in 1922. In 1923, Moody obtained an assault conviction against four members of the Ku Klux Klan for beating, tarring and feathering a black man. At this time, the Klan was very powerful in Texas, with an estimated 150,000 members in the state, including the national "imperial wizard". Texas Klansmen included a U.S. senator and the mayors of Dallas, Fort Worth and Wichita Falls. This case was widely reported and gave him political momentum, despite Klan opposition.^[2]

After election as Texas Attorney General in 1925, Moody Jr. conducted investigations of James E. Ferguson whose wife Miriam A. Ferguson was serving as the Governor of Texas. His investigation recovered $1 million for Texas. In 1927, Moody defeated Ma Ferguson in a runoff election to become the youngest governor of Texas. He served two terms as Governor and retired.^[3]

Personal life and final years[link]

On April 20, 1926, he married Mildred Paxton of Abilene. The couple had two children.^[4]

Governor and Mrs. Moody spent their remaining years in Austin. Dan Moody died in 1966 and was buried at the Texas State Cemetery.^[5] Mildred outlived him by 17 years, dying in 1983. She is buried next to him.^[6]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Governor Dan Moody Museum
• Dan Moody from the Handbook of Texas Online

v t e Governors and Lieutenant Governors of Texas Governors J. P. Henderson Wood Bell J. W. Henderson Pease Runnels Houston Clark Lubbock Murrah Hamilton Throckmorton Pease Davis Coke Hubbard Roberts Ireland Ross Hogg Culberson Sayers Lanham Campbell Colquitt J. Ferguson Hobby Neff M. Ferguson Moody Sterling M. Ferguson Allred O'Daniel Stevenson Jester Shivers Daniel Connally Smith Briscoe Clements White Clements Richards Bush Perry Lieutenant Governors Horton Greer Henderson Dickson Runnels Lubbock Clark Crockett Stockdale Jones J. W. Flanagan Campbell D. W. Flanagan Fountain Pickett Hubbard Sayers Storey Martin Gibbs Wheeler Pendleton Crane Jester Browning Neal A. B. Davidson Mayes Hobby, Sr. Johnson L. Davidson T. W. Davidson Miller Witt Woodul Stevenson J. L. Smith Shivers Ramsey P. Smith Barnes Hobby, Jr. Bullock Perry Ratliff Dewhurst