A. R. Schwartz

A. R. "Babe" Schwartz (born July 17, 1926) is a former member of the Texas Legislature. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1955–1959 and the Texas Senate, District 17 from 1960–1981, representing Galveston, Texas.

Personal

A. R. Schwartz, a Jewish Texan politician, was born in Galveston, Texas. Schwartz attended Texas A&M University and the University of Texas School of Law. He is married to the former Marilyn Cohn of Harlingen, Texas, and they have four sons: Bob and Dick Schwartz, both of whom live in Houston, John Schwartz, who lives in New Jersey, and Tom Schwartz, who lives in Florida. [ [http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/JJ/pxj1.html JEWS] Texas Online Handbook] [ [http://www.texasmonthly.com/preview/2001-09-01/politics6 Senator A. R. "Babe" Schwartz] Texas Monthly] [ [http://www.texasalmanac.com/culture/groups/jewish.html Jewish-Texans] Texas Almanac]

Texas Legislature

As a legislator, he specialized in legislation to protect the environment and manage the resources of coastal areas, and earned a reputation as a fiery liberal speaker and a wit. In Molly Ivins's book "Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?," Ivins referred to Schwartz as a "white-maned pixie" and called him one of the legislature's "excellent orators." In " [Confessions of a Maddog: A Romp Through the High-Flying Texas Music and Literary Era of the Fifties to the Seventies] [http://www.amazon.com/dp/1574410504] ," Jay Dunston Milner referred to Schwartz, along with Bob Eckhardt, John Henry Faulk, Maury Maverick, Jr. and others, as being among those in the 1960s who "fought the good fight against the Philistines. They lost most of the time, of course--the Philistines were in the majority. But they won a skirmish here and a point there, anyway, which was better than nothing." Texas Monthly took note, stating that during the sixties and seventies, the best entertainment the Capitol had to offer was the oratory of Galveston senator A. R. "Babe" Schwartz. [http://www.texasmonthly.com/preview/2001-09-01/politics6] Schwartz was also named one of the "Ten Best Legislators" by "Texas Monthly" four times. The first time, in 1973, the magazine called him "the most complex, remarkable man in the Senate" and "one of the most consistently influential members." As a legislator, Schwartz was known for his spirited feuds, in particular with fellow state senators W. T. Moore, "The Bull of the Brazos" and William Neff Patman. In a dispute with Hilmar Moore, the longtime mayor of Richmond, Texas over his appointment to the state's Public Welfare Board, Schwartz said, “You can have that job over my dead body.” Moore replied, “Senator, I can’t think of any other way I’d rather have it.” [ [http://www.texasmonthly.com/2008-10-01/thehorsesmouth.php The Horse's Mouth: Being Mayor] Texas Monthly]

In the 1979 legislative session he helped lead the "Killer Bees," a group of state senators who brought the legislature to a standstill by going into hiding and breaking the Senate quorum. During his tenure as a lawmaker, he served on every major committee of the legislature, and served as the chairman of the Rules, Jurisprudence and Natural Resources Committees. [ [http://www.texasmonthly.com/preview/2001-09-01/politics6 Senator A. R. "Babe" Schwartz] Texas Monthly]

Schwartz was defeated in the 1980 election by J.E. "Buster" Brown, a candidate who was recruited by then 29-year-old Karl Rove, who was working at the time for Texas governor Bill Clements. Decades after his defeat, however, he remains a newsworthy figure: the Galveston County Daily News, in November 2007, published a story on one of its blogs stating that the "legendary Texas lawmaker" had not, in fact, died. [ [http://news.galvestondailynews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=48abed680e49b531 Never the twain for rumor, fact] The Galveston County Daily News]

Media appearances

Schwartz became a lobbyist and legislative consultant on local, state and national issues. He has has appeared in the PBS documentary "Vote For Me: Politics in America" (1996) and "Bush's Brain" (2006). In 1996, he began teaching Legislation and Coastal Zone Management Law at the University of Houston Law Center as an adjunct professor. In September 2008, he was quoted in The New York Times on the subject of damage to Galveston from Hurricane Ike and other hurricanes over the years. The 1900 Galveston hurricane that devastated Galveston, he said, was a “message from God.” He explained: “God’s message was, ‘man wasn’t meant to live on no damned island.’” [ [* [http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/13/stormy-memories-from-a-son-of-galveston/#more-1803 Stormy Memories From a Son of Galveston] The New York Times ] In an Associated Press story after Hurricane Ike about the fact that the 1959 Texas Open Beaches Act, a state law protecting public access to beaches might cause some Galveston-area homes to be seized by the state, Schwartz said, ""We're talking about damn fools that have built houses on the edge of the sea for as long as man could remember and against every advice anyone has given." [ [http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ike21-2008sep21,0,3840262.story Beach erosion from Ike may make homes illegal] The Los Angeles Times] That story, in turn, led to an attack on Schwartz by radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, who said, "You know, folks, it’s one thing to be smacked by a natural disaster; it’s quite another to have to be smacked around by the government that you’re looking to for help." [ [http://www.bigmouthfrog.org/2008/09/20/rush-limbaugh-22-sep-2008-morning-update/ Rush Limbaugh - 22 Sep 2008 - Morning Update] ]

Political critic

He remains a keen observer of Texas politics, and his comments have appeared in The New York Times, the Washington Post, "60 Minutes" and many Texas newspapers and magazines. When Republican congressman Tom Delay was first indicted in October 2005, many commentators predicted that he would bounce back politically; Schwartz, however, told the New York Times that "He's been gut-shot politically," [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/02/politics/02delay.html DeLay Scandal Will Affect Only DeLay, Texans Say] The New York Times] and was proved right.

References

External links

* [http://www.lawyers.com/Texas/Houston/A.-R.-Schwartz-1681128-a.html A. R. Schwartz Profile]
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E3DA163DF936A15757C0A9659C8B63&scp=1&sq=a.+r.+babe+schwartz&st=nyt RITUALS; In Texas, a Family Responds to the Call of the Hunt] New York Times
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E2D71F3EF935A1575BC0A961958260&scp=2&sq=a.+r.+babe+schwartz&st=nyt Blunt and Driven, Texas Democrat Becomes a Master of Raising Cash] New York Times

###@@@KEY@@@###TXHouseSuccession box
district =23
hometown = Galveston
title=Texas House of Representatives
before=unknown
after=unknown
years=1955 – 1959TXSenateSuccession box
district = 17
hometown = Galveston
title=Texas Senate, District 17
before=Jimmy Phillips
after=J.E. ("Buster") Brown
years=1960 – 1981