Charley R. Lockhart (August 1876 - 1954) was

Texas State Treasurer Texas State Treasurer was an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the state government of Texas, responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The position was established in the Constitution of ...

from 1931 - 1941. He was the shortest Texas elected official at 3'9" (114 cm) tall.

Early life

Lockhart born in

Dallas County, Texas Dallas County is the second-most populous county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 2,613,539, making it the ninth-most populous county in the country. Dallas County is included in the Dallas-Arlington-F ...

in August 1876 to John C. R. and Lucretia Lockhart. They moved to

Snyder, Texas Snyder is a town in, and the county seat of Scurry County, Texas, United States. The population was 11,202 at the 2010 census. The city is located in the lower part of the Southwestern Tablelands ecological region. History Snyder is named for ...

in 1898.

Career

Lockhart was elected

Scurry County Scurry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 16,932. Its county seat is Snyder, which is the home for Western Texas College. Scurry County is named for Confederate General William ...

treasurer in 1900. He was re-elected to the county office eight times. In 1919 he went to Austin to work with the

sergeant-at-arms A serjeant-at-arms, or sergeant-at-arms, is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin ''serviens'', which means "servant". Historically, s ...

of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

. In 1930 he was elected state treasurer. In 1931, ''Ripley's Believe It Or Not'' featured a drawing of Lockhart under the caption "Texas, the largest state in the Union, has the smallest treasurer, Charley Lockhart, 45 inches tall." The ''

Houston Post The ''Houston Post'' was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper shut down, and its assets were purchased by the ''Houston Chronicle''. History Gail Borden Johnson founded the ''Houston Po ...

'' interviewed Lockhart when he entered the race for the state treasurer's office, and he is quoted as saying, "I want you to make it perfectly clear that I am fighting this battle on manhood alone," he said. "I don't want the votes that are given me through a feeling that life has not handed me a square deal. Life has been good to me. I have filled public office, earned the confidence and friendship of my fellows and educated my children. . . . I'm simply a little man with big ideas and sufficient experience and ability to carry my ideas out..."Historic Snyder Cemetery,
He resigned his office on October 24, 1941, and was replaced by his hand-picked Deputy

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained stro ...

Death and interment

Lockhart died in 1954 and was buried in the Snyder Cemetery.

Other media

* A newsreel showing the swearing-in of Lockhart is availabl

References

External links

* 1876 births 1954 deaths American politicians with disabilities State treasurers of Texas Texas Democrats People with dwarfism People from Dallas County, Texas People from Snyder, Texas {{Texas-politician-stub