Graham Boynton Purcell Jr. (May 5, 1919 – June 11, 2011), was a United States representative from

Texas' 13th congressional district Texas's 13th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Texas that includes most of the Texas Panhandle, parts of Texoma and northwestern parts of North Texas. The principal cities in the district are Amarillo, G ...

. Born in Archer City in

Archer County Archer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,560. Its county seat is Archer City. It is part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area. History In 1858, the Texas Legislat ...

, a part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, Purcell attended public schools and received his Bachelor of Science from the

Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, Te ...

in 1946, and his LL.B. in 1949 from Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas. Purcell served in the United States Army during World War II from 1941 to 1946 and served thereafter in the United States Army Reserve. He served as judge of the Eighty-ninth Judicial District Court of Texas from 1955 to 1962. He was a delegate to the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

Democratic 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 ...

national conventions, which met in Los Angeles and

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, New Jersey, respectively to nominate the

Kennedy Kennedy may refer to: People * John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States * John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana * Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...

- Johnson and the Johnson- Humphrey tickets, both of which prevailed in Texas. Purcell was elected to the

Eighty-seventh Congress The 87th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, ...

, by special election, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of fellow Democrat, Representative

Frank N. Ikard Frank Neville Ikard (January 30, 1913 – May 1, 1991) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic United States Representative from Texas' 13th congressional district, centered about Wichita Falls, Texas, Wichita Falls, Texas. Ikard was ...

. He was reelected to the five succeeding congresses (January 27, 1962 – January 3, 1973). In 1966, when John Tower won his second term as U. S. senator, Purcell defeated the Republican Dillard Carlisle "Bunny" Norwood (1913-1993) of Wichita Falls. On November 22, 1963, Purcell was riding in the motorcade's third vehicle behind U.S. President Kennedy during the

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

in Dallas, Texas. Although Texas gained a seat as a result of the 1970 Census, Purcell's 13th District was dismantled, and his home in Wichita Falls was merged with the

Panhandle A salient (also known as a panhandle or bootheel) is an elongated protrusion of a geopolitical entity, such as a subnational entity or a sovereign state. While similar to a peninsula in shape, a salient is most often not surrounded by water on ...

-based 18th District of Republican Bob Price for the 1972 elections. The new district was numerically Purcell's district—the 13th—but was geographically more Price's district. Purcell retained only one-third of his former constituents. Forced to run in territory that he did not know and that did not know him, Purcell was defeated by nine points. In 1993, House bill HR 2292 was passed designating the federal building in Wichita Falls as the Graham B. Purcell Jr. Post Office and Federal Building.The US Congress Votes Database
Purcell resided in Wichita Falls until his death at the age of ninety-two.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Purcell, Graham B. Jr. 1919 births 2011 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army reservists United States Army soldiers Texas A&M University alumni Baylor Law School alumni People from Archer City, Texas Texas state court judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American judges