John Vernard Dowdy (February 11, 1912 – April 12, 1995) was an American politician. Dowdy was a Democratic member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from the 7th District of Texas from 1952 to 1967 and then served as a congressman from the 2nd District of Texas until 1973, when he decided to retire under indictment for

bribery Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or 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 regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Cor ...

. During his political campaigns his commercials featured the tune "Are You From Dixie" but with the words "Are you for Dowdy, John Dowdy, We'll I'm for Dowdy, too!". According to prosecutors, he accepted a $25,000 bribe to intervene in the federal investigation of Monarch Construction Company of

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

. In 1971, Dowdy was convicted on eight counts: two of conspiracy, one of transporting a bribe over state lines, and five of perjury. In 1973, after Dowdy retired from Congress, the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryland ...

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, overturned the bribery and conspiracy convictions. Dowdy still served a sentence in prison for perjury. Dowdy was one of four U.S. Congressmen from Texas to originally sign the "

Southern Manifesto The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manif ...

," a resolution in protest of the

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decision in '' Brown v. Board of Education''. Right-wing groups rallied to his defense, including the ''Washington Observer'' and the Liberty Lobby, which contended Dowdy was the victim of a "vicious frame-up by the

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in collaboration with a clique of housing racketeers". The ulterior motive, according to the newspaper, was to stop Dowdy's subcommittee investigation of the fraud at the

Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Ur ...

.''Washington Observer'', April 15, 1973. Dowdy was born in

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...

, and lived in Texas for most of his life. He was a lawyer before entering politics. He died in

Athens, Texas Athens is a city and the county seat of Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 12,857. The city has called itself the " Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World." Athens was selected as one of t ...

Committee assignments

* 83rd Congress — Post Office and Civil Service. * 84th Congress — Post Office and Civil Service, House Administration. * 85th through 92nd Congresses — Judiciary, District of Columbia Subcommittee.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Dowdy, John 1912 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American politicians American perjurers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas East Texas Baptist University alumni People from Athens, Texas People from Dupont Circle People from Waco, Texas Texas politicians convicted of crimes

Committee assignments

See also

References