Lloyd Bentsen was a businessman, veteran, and four-term U. S. Senator. He was a hard worker and respected by Texans as he attempted to step up into the national spotlight.
Bentsen was a gentle giant inTexaspolitics, a gentleman in a time in which politics was becoming increasingly bitter.
Lloyd Millard Bentsen, Jr., was born in Mission in South Texas in 1921.
His grandfather had been a Danish immigrant who came to the United States and started a farm in South Dakota.
His father, Lloyd Bentsen, Sr., arrived in the Rio Grande Valley at age 24 in 1918 to improve his fortunes.
He arrived penniless and grew to become one of the most important businessmen and ranchers in the region.
The future senator grew up on his father’s ranch until he graduated high
school. He attended the University of Texas, earning a law degree by 1942. With America fighting World War II, he enlisted in the U. S. Army Air Force and rose to command a squadron of B-24 bombers.
He flew 35 missions and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was honorably discharged after the war as a lieutenant colonel but would serve in the reserves from 1950 to 1959.
He returned to Hidalgo County and won election as county judge for Hidalgo County in 1946.
He was elected to Congress in 1948, unopposed in each of three terms.
He was a respected figure in Congress and worked closely with Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn, a fellow Texan. With a wife and growing family, Bentsen stepped down from Congress in 1955 and started a successful insurance company in Houston and also served on the board of directors of several energy companies.
In 1970, Bentsen re-entered politics, challenging liberal Sen. Ralph Yarbrough in the Democratic Primary. Bentsen scored a surprise win in the hard-fought contest. In spite of the divisive primary, Yarbrough endorsed Bentsen in the fall contest, the Democrats united, and Bentsen went on to win against George H. W. Bush with a comfortable 53% of the vote.
In 1975, Bentsen announced a run for president.
However, his efforts faltered and he lost the Democratic nomination to former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter. Nevertheless, Bentsen’s career rebounded and he won re-election easily in 1976 and 1982.
He was a moderate politically. He supported civil rights, environmental protection, and the Equal Rights Amendment, while promoting deregulation and business interests. His expertise in business and finance was recognized by both parties.
In 1983, he became chairman of the Joint Economic Committee. By 1987, Bentsen had become chairman of the influential Senate Finance Committee, a position he would hold for six years.
Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts won the Democratic nomination for president in 1988 and quickly chose Bentsen as his running mate.
It would be a rematch of sorts from 1970, but on a national scale, as George H. W. Bush won the Republican nomination.
The Dukakis campaign, however, quickly faltered after a series of missteps.
In the vice-presidential debate, Bentsen uttered one of the memorable lines of the whole campaign. Then-Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle attempted to compare his experience to President John F. Kennedy when Bentsen replied, “I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
As much as his performance in the debate and on the campaign trail energized Democrats nationally, the ticket was defeated that November and Bush became president. In spite of the defeat in the presidential election, Bentsen was able to win re-election to the Senate at the same time.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed him as Secretary of the Treasury.
He resigned in 1994 as his health began to decline. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his service in 1999.
He died at his home in Houston in 2006.
Ken Bridges is a writer, historian and native Texan. He holds a doctorate from the University of North Texas. Bridges can be reached by email at drkenbridges@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Bridges Texas History explores iconic politician Lloyd Bentsen
