James Bascom Giles (September 21, 1900 – July 7, 1993) was an American politician who was the
Texas Land Commissioner
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is a state agency of the U.S. state of Texas, responsible for managing lands and mineral rights properties that are owned by the state. The GLO also manages and contributes to the state's Permanent School Fund. ...
from 1939 to 1955. Implicated in the
Veterans' Land Board scandal, he gave up his office and served three years in prison.
Early life
Giles was born near
Manor, Texas
Manor ( ) is a city in Travis County, Texas, United States. Manor is located 12 miles northeast of Austin and is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. The population was 13,652 at the 2020 census. Manor is one of the faster-growing subu ...
, in
Travis County
Travis County is located in south central Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,290,188. It is the fifth-most populous county in Texas. Its county seat is Austin, the capital of Texas. The county was established in 1840 and is na ...
on September 21, 1900. He was the son of Banton W. and Leora Norwood Giles. He married Effie Dean Rogan in 1921. They had two sons: J. Bascom Giles, III, and Rogan B. Giles.
Career and public service
Giles entered the General Land Office in September 1919, as a draftsman. He progressed within the office and in November 1936, he became associated with the State Tax Board as chief abstractor, which position he resigned on April 8, 1938, to run for commissioner of the General Land Office. Giles was reelected eight times as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
.
Giles was a
mason
Mason may refer to:
Occupations
* Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces
* Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...
, rising to the position of grand master of the
Grand Lodge of Texas
The Grand Lodge of Texas, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons is the largest of several governing bodies of Freemasonry in the State of Texas, being solely of the Ancients' tradition and descending from the Ancient Grand Lodge of England, founded on ...
in 1949.
Veterans Land Board scandal
After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Giles conceived of a plan to reward Texas' veterans with the ability to buy land at low interest rates subsidized by the taxpayers. In 1946, the voters amended the state constitution to authorize $100 million in public funds to enable veterans to buy land, creating the
Texas Veterans Land Board The Texas Veterans Land Board, also known as VLB, is part of the Texas General Land Office. Created by the Texas Legislature in 1946, the board was established to make land available to veterans returning from World War II.
Today, the organization ...
. Under the program, qualified veterans could purchase ranch or farm land for a 5% down payment, with 40 years to pay off the balance. The state furnished the unpaid balance and held title until the veteran had retired the loan.
In November 1954, a reporter for the ''Cuero Record'', Roland Kenneth "Ken" Towery discovered that there was fraud going on in the Texas Veterans Land program. Many of the veterans who purchased land in block sales were not even aware that they had purchased land. In fact, many were led to believe that they were getting free land as part of a veteran entitlement program or else were receiving some type of veterans' compensation from the state. Towery arranged a meeting with Giles, and before Towery could ask a question, Giles denied involvement, attributing the irregularities to local land speculators. Struck by the fact that Giles had defended himself before even being accused of anything, Towery ran the story.
Giles was reelected as land commissioner in 1954, but faced criminal investigation by Texas attorney general,
John Ben Shepperd
John Ben Shepperd (October 19, 1915 – March 8, 1990) was an American lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the Secretary of State (1950–1952) and Attorney General (1953–1957) for the U.S. state of Texas.
Early life and educ ...
. Giles failed to appear to take the oath of office in January, 1955 and was eventually convicted of fraud and
bribery
Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...
and served three years of a six-year prison term. Towery won the
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
for his investigative reporting.
"Bascom Giles Handed Six-Year Term"
''The Victoria Advocate
''The Victoria Advocate'' is a daily newspaper independently published in Victoria, Texas. It is the second-oldest paper in Texas and the oldest west of the Colorado River, dating back to May 8, 1846, following the Battle of Palo Alto during the ...
''. August 17, 1955. via Google News Archive
Google News Archive is an extension of Google News providing free access to scanned archives of newspapers and links to other newspaper archives on the web, both free and paid.
Some of the news archives date back to 18th century. There is a time ...
.
Final years
Giles moved to Venice, Florida
Venice is a city in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The city includes what locals call "Venice Island", a portion of the mainland that is accessed via bridges over the artificially created Intracoastal Waterway. The city is located in Sou ...
, where he died in a car accident in 1993.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giles, Bascom
1900 births
1993 deaths
Commissioners of the General Land Office of Texas
Texas Democrats
People from Travis County, Texas
American white-collar criminals
Texas politicians convicted of crimes
20th-century American politicians