Tom Vandergriff

Infobox Congressman

honorific-prefix = Honorable
name = Tommy Joe Vandergriff
honorific-suffix =


imagesize = 135x173
state = Texas
district = 26th
constituency = Portions of the Dallas/Fort Worth Texas metropolitan area
term_start = January 3, 1983
term_end = January 3, 1985
preceded =
succeeded = Dick Armey
birth_date = Birth date and age|1926|1|29|mf=y
birth_place = Carrollton, TX
death_date =
death_place =
nationality =
party = Democratic
spouse =
relations =
children =
residence = Arlington, Texas
alma_mater = University of Southern California
occupation = politician and businessman
profession =
religion =


website =
footnotes = Congressional biography [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=V000026 Congressional biography from Biographical Directory of the United States Congress] ] , Texas House Resolution 18, 2007 [http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/HR00018F.htm Texas House Resolution 18] "Commending the Honorable Tom J. Vandergriff of Arlington on the occasion of his retirement as Tarrant County judge" adopted May 4, 2007, retrieved July 72007]

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix = Honorable
name = Tommy Joe Vandergriff
honorific-suffix =
order =
office = Mayor
constituency = Arlington, Texas
term_start = April 3,1951
term_end = January 11,1977
predecessor = B. C. Barnes
successor = S. J. Stovall
footnotes = City of Arlington Hall of MayorsCity of Arlington, Texas, [http://www.ci.arlington.tx.us/history/hallofmayors_tomvandergriff.html City of Arlington Hall of Mayors] , retrieved July 72007]

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix = Honorable
name = Tommy Joe Vandergriff
honorific-suffix =
order =
office = County Judge
constituency = Tarrant County, Texas
party = Republican
term_start = 1991
term_end = January,2007
predecessor = Roy English
successor = B. Glen Whitley
footnotes = List of elected officials, 2005, [ [http://www.tarrantcounty.com/evote/lib/evote/2005/2005_list_of_elected_officials.pdf Elected Officials Representing Tarrant County as of January 1, 2005] , retrieved July 72007] "Tarrant County 4 Republicans, Democrat hoping to succeed English"Nather, David, "Tarrant County 4 Republicans, Democrat hoping to succeed English," "The Dallas Morning News", March 11, 1990]

Tommy Joe Vandergriff (born January 29, 1926) is a politician from the U.S. state of Texas. He served as Mayor of Arlington from 1951 to 1977, as a U.S. Congressman from ushr|Texas|26 from 1983 to 1985, and as County Judge of Tarrant County from 1991 to 2007. For most of his life, he was a Democrat, but he became a Republican around 1990 [Francis, Robert, [http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=5670 Vandergriff tapped as trail boss for Western Heritage celebration] 2007-01-15, "Fort Worth Business Press", retrieved 2008-02-21] .

As Mayor, he was instrumental in several projects, including a new General Motors assembly plant, moving a Major League Baseball franchise to Arlington, and the opening of Six Flags over Texas.

Political career

Mayor of Arlington, 1951-1977

During his 26 years as Mayor of Arlington, Tom Vandergriff brought a General Motors assembly plant into Arlington, [ [http://www.coolcitiesusa.com/dfw/dfw2/about/becon/gmplant04/gmplant0101.shtml General Motors Celebrates 50 Years In Arlington] , retrieved July 72007] brought the Washington Senators to Arlington as the Texas Rangers, [ cite web
last = Pfeifle
first = Eric
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = TEXAS RANGERS
work = Handbook of Texas Online
publisher = The Texas State Historical Association
date = June 21, 2001
url = http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/TT/xot2.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-07-07] saw Arlington State College elevated to University status and became the University of Texas at Arlington, [http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/HR00018F.htm Texas House Resolution 18] "Commending the Honorable Tom J. Vandergriff of Arlington on the occasion of his retirement as Tarrant County judge" adopted May 4, 2007, retrieved July 72007] helped create the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, [http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/HR00018F.htm Texas House Resolution 18] "Commending the Honorable Tom J. Vandergriff of Arlington on the occasion of his retirement as Tarrant County judge" adopted May 4, 2007, retrieved July 72007] and saw Arlington grow from about 8,000 people to over 120,000. [http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/HR00018F.htm Texas House Resolution 18] "Commending the Honorable Tom J. Vandergriff of Arlington on the occasion of his retirement as Tarrant County judge" adopted May 4, 2007, retrieved July 72007]

US House of Representatives

Tom Vandergriff was elected as a Democrat to the newly formed 26th congressional district of Texas and represented Arlington from 1983-1985. [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=V000026 Congressional biography from Biographical Directory of the United States Congress] ] While in Congress he was considered a conservative Democrat, often voting alongside the Republicans.fact|date=July 2008 Thus, he gained the attention of then-President Ronald Reagan. Previously, Reagan had visited Vandergriff when he was actor and Vandergriff a mayor in Arlington. Reagan was visiting Six Flags for a portrait painting.fact|date=July 2008

He was defeated in 1984 after only one term by Republican Dick Armey.

County Judge

As a Republican, Tom Vandergriff served 16 years as County Judge before retiring from public service in 2007. [Smith, Dick, "The Texas Handbook Online", [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/CC/muc9.html County Judge] , retrieved July 72007] [http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/HR00018F.htm Texas House Resolution 18] "Commending the Honorable Tom J. Vandergriff of Arlington on the occasion of his retirement as Tarrant County judge" adopted May 4, 2007, retrieved July 72007]

Non-political career

Texas Rangers

Tom Vandergriff is most remembered by his efforts to bring Major League Baseball to Arlington.

For over ten years, Vandergriff worked tirelessly to bring baseball to the metroplex. Judge Roy Hofeinz of the Houston Astros tried to block any attempt Vandergriff made in his efforts to bring a ball club to Arlington. In 1971, Washington Senators owner Bob Short was wanting to relocate his team, managed by Baseball Legend Ted Williams. Vandergriff saw this as a perfect opportunity and Short was willing to make the move.

Many people in the D.C. area were highly opposed to the move. Vandergriff was thrown out of a cab because the driver learned who he was. Even the President of the United States, Richard Nixon, was against the move. While Vandergriff was visiting Bob Short in his D.C. area office, Nixon sent his son-in-law to deliver a message to Short, demanding he not relocate the team. Not wanting Nixon to know Vandergriff was there, Short shoved Vandergriff into a closet, where he stayed until it was "safe to come out." Ultimately, Nixon lost his team and the Washington Senators relocated to Texas.

The new team became known as the Texas Rangers. Because Arlington owned the broadcasting rights, he served as a TV broadcaster from 1975 to 1977, not earning pay.

In 1993, he spearheaded the efforts to build a new Texas Rangers Stadium. Mayor Richard Greene, then owner George W. Bush, President Tom Schieffer, and Vandergriff campaigned to get Arlington voters to okay the new stadium. The stadium was passed and opened in 1994, as the Ballpark in Arlington.

In 2004, Vandergriff was inducted into the Texas Ranger Baseball Hall of Fame, along with Buddy Bell and Ferguson Jenkins.

He is honored with a statue in centerfield, which bears the name "Vandergriff Plaza." Today he is considered the Father of the Texas Rangers.

Businesses

Tom Vandergriff worked in his family's businesses including a chain of car dealerships. His father. Hooker, owned Vandergriff Chevrolet and Vandergriff Buick, until he split the dealerships between Vandergriff and Vandergriff's sister, Ginger. The car dealerships later expanded and were controlled by his son Victor as well as then Arlington Mayor, Richard Greene. Today the dealerships are owned by V.T. Inc. and include Chevrolet, Toyota, Acura, Honda, and Hyundai. V.T. Inc. has become the largest privately owned car dealer company in the United States. [Vandergriff, W. T. (William Thomas), 1902-1992, Hooker Vandergriff Family Collection, 1935-1998, bulk 939-1986, available from the [http://library.uta.edu/guideToArchives/guideHist8.jsp University of Texas at Arlington Library's archives] . Web site retrieved July 72007.]

ee also

*Arlington, Texas
*Texas Rangers (baseball)
*98th United States Congress

For Further Reading

*The North Texas Commission, [http://www.ntc-dfw.org/news/newsarchives/regionalchampion04.html Judge Tom Vandergriff Named Regional Champion] , retrieved July 72007, includes extended list of political achievements

References

succession box
before=B. C. Barnes
title=Mayors of Arlington, Texas
after=S. J. Stovall
years=1951-1977succession box
before=Roy English
title=Tarrant County, Texas County Judges
after=B. Glen Whitley
years=1991-2007
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