Background
Hightower, Jack English was born on September 6, 1926 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Son of Walter Thomas and Floy Edna (English) Hightower.
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Hightower, Jack English was born on September 6, 1926 in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Son of Walter Thomas and Floy Edna (English) Hightower.
Baylor University (Bachelor of Arts, 1949. Juris Doctor, 1951); University of Virginia (Master of Laws, 1992).
Born in Memphis, the seat of Hall County in West Texas, Hightower was a United States Navy sailor for two years during World World War World War II
In 1949, Hightower received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. In 1951, he procured an Bachelor of Laws from Baylor Law School. Years later in 1992, he obtained an Master of Laws from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.
He was admitted to the Texas bar in 1951 and immediately became district attorney of the 46th Texas Judicial District, based in Vernon, the seat of Wilbarger County.
He served as District Attorney from 1951 to 1961. Hightower was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States. House of Representatives in a special election held in 1961.
While still living in Vernon, Hightower served from 1965 to 1974 in two reconfigured districts in the Texas Senate. He was a delegate to the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention, which met in Chicago to nominate Vice President of the United States Hubert H. Humphrey for the presidency.
That fall, Humphrey narrowly carried Texas over the Republican Richard M. Nixon and the American Independent Party nominee George Wallace of Alabama.
Hightower was one of several Democrats elected due to voter anger over Watergate. Hightower was a fairly moderate Democrat, and served a mostly rural district stretching from Amarillo to Wichita Falls on the east. The district had become increasingly friendly to Republicans at the national level, though Democrats continued to hold most local offices well into the 1990s.
Hightower was reelected four times, mainly by stressing constituent services.
However, in 1984, he was toppled by Republican challenger Beau Boulter of Amarillo, who benefited from Ronald West. Reagan"s massive reelection landslide that year. A Freemason, Jack Hightower served in 1972 as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas.
Until his death, he had been the oldest living past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Texas. Hightower died on August 3, 2013 in Austin.
Member Texas Law Enforcement Study Commission, 1957. Delegate White House Conference Children and Youth, 1970. Alternate delegate Democratic National Convention, 1968.
Board regents Midwestern University, Wichita Falls, Texas, 1962-1965. Trustee Baylor University, 1972-1981, acting governor, 1971. Trustee Wayland Baptist University, Plainview, Texas, 1991-2001, Baptist Children's Home, 1959-1962, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital Children, since 1991, chairman, since 2002.
Trustee Human Welfare Commission. Board directors Baptist Standard, 1959-1968. Member National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, 1999-2005.
With United States Naval Reserve, 1944-1946. Member Texas District and County Attorneys Association (president 1958-1959), Scottish Rite Educational Association Texas (executive committee since 1990), Texas Supreme Court History Society (president 1991-1998), Texas Bar. Foundation (fellow 1992), Sons of the American Revolution, Supreme Court of the United States Court History Society, Texas State History Association (executive council 1998-2002), Masons (grand master Texas 1972), Lions (president Vernon 1961), Scottish Rite Freemasonry (sovereign grand inspector general since 1992).
Married Colleen Ward, August 26, 1950. Children— Ann, Amy, Alison.