Tom Vandergriff

Tommy " Tom" Joe Vandergriff ( born January 29, 1926 in Carrollton, Dallas County, Texas, † December 30, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas ) was an American politician of the Democratic Party, which was from 26 years mayor of Arlington and for a two -year term representing the state of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Life

After attending schools in Carrollton and Arlington Vandergriff graduated studies at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he graduated in 1947 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA). He then worked as car dealers and insurance intermediaries.

In 1951, he began his political career when he was first elected as a Democratic Party candidate for mayor of Arlington and this office for 26 years held until 1977. During his tenure, the population of the town grew from 8,000 residents to 120,000 residents, in particular due to the settlement of a 1954 made ​​car factory of General Motors. On April 23, 1965, the former Arlington State College in the University of Texas system was recorded and performs since 1967 the present name University of Texas at Arlington. Between 1972 and 2005 the number of students enrolled grew from 14,000 to more than 25,000. In addition, it came in 1972 to take over the Texas Rangers, a Major League Baseball team, now plays in the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

In the congressional elections in November 1982 Vandergriff was elected deputy in the U.S. House of Representatives and represented in this January 3, 1983 to January 3, 1985 the newly created 26th Congressional District of Texas. In the congressional elections in November 1984, he suffered a defeat against his Republican challenger Dick Armey and thus retired after only one term out of the U.S. House of Representatives from.

He then resumed his years as a car dealer again before it between 1991 and 2007 - now since 1990 as a member of the Republican Party - Judge, District Court of Tarrant County was.