James Burr V. Allred

James Burr V. Allred was born on march 29 1899 in Bowie, Texas. Burr and V were the names of his uncles and he was known as Vee until he was older. While enlisting clerks did not want to type Allred's whole name so they dropped the Burr and the V was sometimes mistaken for a roman numeral, but Allred did not mind the change and continued to use the new name the rest of his life. His father was Renne and mother was Mary (Henson) Allred. He was one of nine children and had a strictly-disciplined home, by having a lot of sibling he learned to have patience and tolerance. What he learned in that home stood him in good stead throughout his career as a statesman. As a boy James also worked as a shoeshiner, soda pop bottler and newspaper boy and kept
James focused on cooperating with the federal government to relieve the effects of the Great Depression. He also focused on providing increased financial support for education, expanded highway construction, and old age benefits, Several significant factors worked to Governor Allred's credit in the election of 1936. He had been commended highly by President Franklin D. Roosevelt for the state's cooperation and performance in the national recovery program. He had secured the enactment of many of his 1934 pledges to the voters of the state. As a result, he polled a majority of 52 percent in the first primary in a field of five candidates and won by a landslide in the general election of 1936. Allred's second administration brought passage of a teacher retirement system, broadened social security and welfare provisions, additional funds for education, expansion of the services of most existing state agencies, and increased compensation for state officials. On leaving the governorship, he was nominated by President Roosevelt on January 5, 1939, to newly created seat for a district judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Allred was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 16, 1939, and received his commission on February 23, 1939. He served in that office until May 15, 1942, when he resigned to run against senator, W. Lee O'Daniel, for his
In the dispute, Allred ran afoul not only of Senator O'Daniel but the appointed Texas Secretary of State Sidney Latham. Allred still won through the suit, Seay v. Latham, in which the U.S. District Court ruled that a party could withdraw the names of elector candidates previously approved (Texas Regulars) and replace those persons with other elector candidates. Allred felt particularly vindicated when FDR won Texas with some 75 percent of the ballots cast in his easy race against the Republican nominee, Thomas E. Dewey, and the Old Regulars, who did not specify what presidential candidate their slate would support if it had been victorious.
In 1949 President Harry S. Truman returned Allred to the federal bench, where he remained until his death which happened suddenly when he had a seizure shortly after saying he felt "a little under the weather." while serving as a U.S Judge on September 24,1959 when he was only 60 years old. James was buried in Wichita Falls with his wife who later died in 1993 at the age of 88. James was loved by many and got so much accomplished in his life like, becoming a lawyer, returning from war, being governor for two terms, and becoming a U.S judge that his name is still remembered by