William Robert Poage
Text
For more than 40 years, the seeds planted in Washington, D.C., by McLennan County native Bob Poage reaped rewards in Central Texas.
As U.S. representative from Texas' 11th Congressional District — a post he held from Jan. 3, 1937, until his retirement on Dec. 31, 1978 — William Robert "Bob" Poage served during a political era of great influence for congressmen of the Deep South, both on Capitol Hill and in the Democratic Party.
Born in Waco on Dec. 28, 1899 — he liked to say he lived "three full days in the 19th century" — Poage and his family moved to a cattle ranch in Throckmorton while he was a toddler. The family returned to Waco in 1913, and he graduated from Waco High School in 1918.
In World War I, he joined the U.S. Navy, serving as an apprentice seaman. After a brief tour of duty, he attended Baylor University, graduating in 1921. He labored as a farm hand from 1920 to 1922, and taught geology at Baylor from 1922 to 1924 while working on his law degree. Poage was admitted to the bar in 1924, and practiced law in Waco while teaching at the law school until 1928.
His first foray into politics resulted in his election to the Texas House of Representatives in 1924. He served four years. He returned to Austin as a state senator from 1931 to 1937.
As a U.S. Representative, the young New Dealer campaigned for rural electrification and rural telephone service during the 1930s and 1940s. Despite others urging him to run for the U.S. Senate, Poage remained in the House through the 1950s, '60s and '70s, building up power and influence through seniority. Poage became chairman of the House Agriculture Committee in 1967 and held that position until 1974.
In 1979, the W.R. Poage Legislative Library for Graduate Studies and Research was dedicated at Baylor. The facility houses not only Poage 's congressional papers, but also the papers of 12 other former U.S. Congressmen, six Texas legislators, five judges and more.
Poage also stayed busy by writing an autobiography, My First Eighty-five Years (1985), and four books on local history and politics: After the Pioneers (1969), Politics Texas Style (1974), McLennan County Before 1980 (1981) and How We Lived (1985).
The congressman died in Temple on Jan. 3, 1987 — the 50th anniversary of his arrival in Washington — and was buried in Waco's Oakwood Cemetery.
Files
The Farmer's Friend
Growing up on a farm and working as a farmhand after graduation served as inspiration for Poage's work in politics. He billed himself as the "farmer's friend" in his race for Congress. | Source: Image courtesy of the Texas Collection, Baylor University
Praiseworthy Politician
Poage received numerous honors and awards throughout his political career. Known to some as Mr. Agriculture, he dedicated much of his career to improving life in rural America. | Source: Image courtesy of the Texas Collection, Baylor University
Advocate for Texas
Poage converses with Texas Representative Jack Woods at a dinner reception. His time in Congress coincided with an era of great influence of Texans in politics. | Source: Image courtesy of the Texas Collection, Baylor University
A Man of the People
Poage's ties to the Waco community remained important throughout his political career. Here he is pictured as one of the first to experience the free shopper trams at the opening of the Austin Avenue Pedestrian Mall. | Source: Image courtesy of the Texas Collection, Baylor University
Baylor Commencement (1967)
Poage is pictured in full academic regalia. Throughout his political career in Congress, Poage's ties to Baylor University remained important. | Source: Image courtesy of the Texas Collection, Baylor University
Strong Union
William married Frances Cotton (center) on February 14, 1938. Frances passed away in 1983 after forty-five years of marriage. Poage later endowed a special map room at the Texas Collection in her honor. | Source: Image courtesy of the Texas Collection, Baylor University
W. R. Poage Legislative Library
Poage speaks at the dedication of the W. R. Poage Legislative Library in 1979, which Baylor named in his honor. The library collects congressional records and personal papers related to the political history of Central Texas. It also contains a map collection, an extensive campaign materials collection, and a 20,000 volume book collection focusing on Congress, political history, and areas of public policy. | Source: Image courtesy of the Texas Collection, Baylor University