Lindley Garrison Beckworth Sr. (June 30, 1913 – March 9, 1984) was an American judge and politician who served as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

and a judge of the

United States Customs Court The United States Court of International Trade (case citations: Int'l Trade or Intl. Trade) is a U.S. federal court that adjudicates civil actions arising out of U.S. customs and international trade laws. Seated in New York City, it exercises ...

Education and career

Born on June 30, 1913, on a farm in the South Bouie community of Mabank, Kaufman County,

, Beckworth attended the rural schools of his home county, then attended

Abilene Christian College Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a private Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as ''Childers Classical Institute''. ACU is one of the largest private universities in the Southwestern United States and has one of th ...

, East Texas State Teachers College,

Commerce, Texas Commerce is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, situated on the eastern edge of North Texas, in the heart of the Texas Blackland Prairies. The town is south of the Texas/Oklahoma border. Commerce is the second-largest city in Hunt Count ...

, Sam Houston State Teachers College (now Sam Houston State University), and

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas. He was a teacher in Upshur County, Texas from 1932 to 1936. He was admitted to the bar in 1937 and commenced practice in Gilmer, Texas. He was a 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 abo ...

from 1936 to 1938. He was a

from Texas from 1939 to 1953 and again from 1957 to 1967. He was in private practice in Longview, Texas from 1954 to 1958.

Congressional service

Beckworth was elected 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 ...

to the 76th Congress and to the six succeeding Congresses from January 3, 1939, to January 3, 1953, from

Texas's 3rd congressional district Texas's 3rd congressional district of the United States House of Representatives is in the suburban areas north and northeast of Dallas. It encompasses much of Collin County, including McKinney, as well as parts of Plano and Frisco, and Pro ...

. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1952, and was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from Texas in 1952. He was elected to the 85th Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses from January 3, 1957, to January 3, 1967, from the 3rd district. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1966.

Federal judicial service

Beckworth was nominated by President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

on January 16, 1967, to a seat on the

vacated by Judge

David John Wilson David John Wilson (October 27, 1887 – April 23, 1976) was a judge of the United States Customs Court. Education and career Born on October 27, 1887, in Midway, Utah, Wilson received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1914 from Brigham Young Uni ...

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on March 2, 1967, and received his commission on March 4, 1967. His service terminated on August 31, 1968, due to his resignation.

Post judicial service and death

After resigning from the federal bench, Beckworth briefly practiced law in Longview in 1969. He served as a member of the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per co ...

from 1970 to 1972. He resumed private practice in Longview from 1974 until his death in

Tyler Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...

, Texas, on March 9, 1984, residing in

Gladewater Gladewater is a city in Gregg and Upshur counties in the U.S. state of Texas with a 2020 census population of 6,134. In the early 20th century, Gladewater was an oil boom town. In 1995, the Texas Legislature proclaimed it the "Antique Capital o ...

, Texas during his final years. He was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler.

References

Sources

* *
Lawrence A. Landis, "BECKWORTH, LINDLEY GARRISON, SR.," Handbook of Texas Online, accessed August 08, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beckworth, Lindley Garrison Sr. 1913 births 1984 deaths Abilene Christian University alumni Sam Houston State University alumni Southern Methodist University alumni Baylor University alumni Texas A&M University–Commerce alumni Judges of the United States Customs Court United States federal judges appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson 20th-century American judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 20th-century American politicians People from Kaufman County, Texas People from Gilmer, Texas People from Gladewater, Texas