J. T. Rutherford
JT Rutherford ( * May 30, 1921 in Hot Springs, Arkansas; † November 6, 2006 in Arlington, Virginia ) was an American politician. He represented the state of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Career
J. T. Rutherford was born in 1921 in Arkansas. Then his family moved in 1934 to Odessa, Texas, where he attended the public school. During the Second World War, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. There he served 1942-1946 and was stationed 21 months overseas. During this time he was awarded the Purple Heart. As a crew member of an amphibious vehicle he landed in the first wave on D-Day in Normandy. Previously, he was involved in the battles for Tarawa, Saipan and Tinian. In Saipan, he was wounded. After the war he joined the rank of major in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in.
Rutherford studied from 1946 to 1947 at San Angelo College and then from 1947 to 1948 at the Sul Ross State College in Alpine. Then he attended from 1948 to 1950, the Law School Baylor University in Waco. Thereafter, he practiced an activity as a businessman and partner in an industrial electrical construction company. Until his election to office, he was also the owner of an advertising agency.
Policy
From 1948 to 1952 he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives; 1953 to 1954 he was a member of the Senate of Texas. He was then elected to the 84th and the three subsequent Congresses. His term lasted from January 3, 1955 to January 3, 1963. He stood as a candidate in 1962 for the 88th Congress, but was defeated by Republican Ed Foreman. During his time as an MP, he missed only one of the several thousand votes. During his tenure in Congress, he refused to sign the Southern Manifesto, which spoke out against racial integration in public institutions. He was the first Chairman of the Subcommittee on National Parks in the U.S. House of Representatives. Furthermore, in 1962 the U.S. Department of Interior 's Conservation Service Award for his efforts as a champion of conservation legislation. These included laws that created a new National Seashore on Padre Iceland, Cape Cod National Seashore and Point Reyes in California. After leaving Congress, he founded the J. T. Rutherford & Associates, a national consulting firm that works for Congress.
Rutherford died on November 6, 2006 in Arlington.