Roy Morris Blake Sr. (March 29, 1928 – March 4, 2017) was a Texas politician and businessman from

Nacogdoches, Texas Nacogdoches ( ) is a city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Stephen F. Austin State University is located in Nacogdoches and special ...

. He served in 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. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

from the 4th District. He also served in the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

from the 3rd district, and was

president pro tempore of the Texas Senate President ''pro tempore'' (often shortened to ''pro tem'') of the Texas Senate is a largely honorary position, and is third in the line for the governorship of Texas. If the Governor of Texas, governor and Lieutenant Governor of Texas, lieutenan ...

in the Seventieth Texas Legislature.

Personal life

Roy Morris Blake was born on March 29, 1928, in

, to Lynn T. and Pattie Lee Hall Blake, he was the youngest of 6 children. In 1945, he graduated from

Nacogdoches High School Nacogdoches High School is located in north east Nacogdoches, Texas. Nacogdoches High School is the high school of the Nacogdoches Independent School District. The school district (of which this is the sole comprehensive high school) include ...

, and then attended

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

for 1 year before enrolling in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

to fight in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After returning to

Nacogdoches Nacogdoches ( ) is a city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Stephen F. Austin State University is located in Nacogdoches and specia ...

he began to attend

Stephen F. Austin State University Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU or SFA) is a public university in Nacogdoches, Texas, in the United States. Named after Stephen F. Austin, one of the founders of Texas, SFA was founded as a teachers college in 1923 and built on part ...

where he graduated in 1950. On June 28, 1949, he married Mae Deanne Goodwin, they had 5 children together. One of their children is Republican Representative Roy Blake Jr. Blake was a member of First

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

Nacogdoches. Mae Deanne Blake died on April 24, 2012. Blake died on March 4, 2017, at his home in

, at the age 88; he was under

hospice care Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

. His funeral was held at First United Methodist Church Nacogdoches, and was officiated by Dr. Jeff McDonald. Blake is buried at Sunset Memorial Park in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Career

Political

Blake began his political career by being elected to the

City Commission in 1965, he served 6 years or 3 terms on the commission. Blake was sworn in to represent Texas House of Representatives, District 4 on January 9, 1973. Blake was a strong proponent of local governments throughout his career, and earned recognition from Texas Municipal League. Blake was elected to

Texas Senate, District 3 District 3 of the Texas Senate is a senatorial district that serves all of Anderson, Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Henderson, Houston, Jasper, Liberty, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler coun ...

and was sworn in on Feb 28, 1978. While in the senate he was on several committees such as the Senate Administration Committee. Blake was

during the Seventieth Texas Legislature. Blake was 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Business

Blake founded the Roy Blake Insurance in 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Roy Sr. 1928 births 2017 deaths Stephen F. Austin State University alumni Members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas state senators People from Nacogdoches, Texas 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature