Daniel Archie Flynn, (February 21, 1943 – October 28, 2022) was an American businessman and rancher from

Van, Texas Van is a city located in southeastern Van Zandt County, Texas, United States about 26 miles northwest of Tyler. Its population was 2,632 at the 2010 census. The town draws its name from an early settler and school teacher Henry Vance. History Van ...

, who was from 2003 to 2021 a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member 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 ...

for District 2 (

Hopkins Hopkins is an English, Welsh and Irish patronymic surname. The English name means "son of Hob". ''Hob'' was a diminutive of ''Robert'', itself deriving from the Germanic warrior name ''Hrod-berht'', translated as "renowned-fame". The Robert spell ...

Hunt Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, et ...

, and Van Zandt counties). On July 14, 2020, Flynn was defeated in his re-election attempt by

Bryan Slaton Bryan Lee Slaton (born February 2, 1978) is a former pastor and American politician. Slaton represented the Texas's 2nd House of Representatives district, 2nd district in the Texas House of Representatives from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Repub ...

by a 22-point margin in the Republican primary runoff.Pollock, Cassandra & Reese Oxner
Three Texas House incumbents — Dan Flynn, Anna Eastman and J.D. Sheffield — lose in primary runoffs
''

Texas Tribune ''The Texas Tribune'' is a news website headquartered in Austin, Texas. It aims to promote civic engagement through original, explanatory journalism and public events. Its website and content in various delivery platforms serve as an alternativ ...

'', July 14, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.

Life and career

Flynn was born on February 23, 1943. He was one of House Speaker

Joe Straus Joseph Richard Straus III (born September 1, 1959) is an American politician who served as the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from 2009 to 2019. A Republican, he represented District 121, which comprises northeastern Bexar County, ...

's loyal supporters.Rowen, Ben
Roundup: Texas Primary Runoffs 2020
''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. ''Texas Monthly'' was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy and has been published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. since 1998 and is ...

'', July 15, 2020. In December 2008, Flynn authored a bill requiring public documents to be in

English only The English-only movement, also known as the Official English movement, is a political movement that advocates for the use of only the English language in official United States government operations through the establishment of English as the o ...

as a means of encouraging non-English speakers to learn English. In his 2018 primary election, Flynn defeated Bryan Slaton, an intra-party rival from Hunt County, 11,803 (51.7 percent) to 11,013 (48.3 percent). After his reelection, Flynn called once again to permit public school teachers in the state the option of displaying the

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ� ...

in their classrooms. He has been unsuccessful in previous attempts to pass such legislation. Flynn said that he did not understand why his proposal is controversial — liberals viewed it as "unconstitutional" and certain to be challenged in federal court. Flynn said the proposal merely allowed teachers "to put something in their room that is about good values." On July 14, 2020, Flynn was defeated in his re-election attempt by

by a 22-point margin in the Republican primary runoff. Slaton ran to Flynn's right. He died on October 28, 2022, at the age of 79.

Election results

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

Redistricting

Late in 2010, Representative

Bryan Hughes Bryan Hughes (born 19 June 1976) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder from 1994 to 2015, notably Premier League for Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic and Hull City as well as featuring in ...

of Mineola in Wood County, claimed that Larry Phillips, a lawmaker from

Sherman Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name) ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a tank Sherman may also refer to: Places United St ...

, told Hughes that Dan Flynn and Erwin Cain, the newly elected conservative representative from

Sulphur Springs Mineral springs are naturally occurring springs that produces hard water, water that contains dissolved minerals. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the spring water during its passage under ...

, would be adversely

redistricted Redistricting in the United States is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries. For the United States House of Representatives, and state legislatures, redistricting occurs after each decennial census. The U.S. Constitution in Ar ...

for the 2012 elections because they had declined to commit to the second-term reelection of

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

, a Moderate Republican from

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

. In a hearing before the House Ethics Committee, chaired by another East Texas representative, Chuck Hopson of

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, an ally of Speaker Straus, Phillips denied having made such a claim to Hughes. Neither Hughes nor Phillips taped the conversation. No judgment was made by the committee because of the lack of corroborating witnesses. Flynn survived the redistricting. On March 1, 2016, Flynn narrowly won re-nomination in the Republican primary. He polled 14,917 votes (51 percent) to intraparty rival Bryan Slaton's 14,336 (49 percent).

Legislative committees

During the 86th Texas Legislature, Flynn chaired the Defense and Veterans' Affairs Committee, and also served on the House Administration Committee and the Pensions, Investments and Financial Services Committee.

References

External links

Dan Flynn for State Representative

State legislative page

Dan Flynn at the Texas Tribune
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flynn, Dan 1943 births 2022 deaths Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Businesspeople from Texas Ranchers from Texas People from Van Zandt County, Texas 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople