Terms of Service top

Chamber	District	Dates of Service	Legislatures	Party	City/County	Note	Counties in District
S	6	Jan 11, 1955 - Jan 13, 1959	55th (1)   54th   55th (1)	Democrat	Houston / Harris	Senate President Pro Tempore (55th)	Harris
S	6	Jan 13, 1953 - Jan 11, 1955	53rd (2)	Democrat	Houston / Harris		Harris
S	16	Jan 9, 1951 - Jan 13, 1953	52nd (3)	Democrat	Houston / Harris		Harris
S	16	Jan 11, 1949 - Jan 9, 1951	51st (4)	Democrat	Houston / Harris		Harris
H	19-3	Jan 14, 1947 - Jan 11, 1949	50th	Democrat	Houston / Harris		Harris

(1) 55th Legislature - Senate President Pro Tempore, 1st C.S., elected 10/14/1957; and Ad Interim 1st C.S., elected 11/12/1957. Senate Journal.
(2) 53rd Legislature - Drawing for Terms of Office, 1/14/1953, pp. 16-17. Drew 2-year term. Senate Journal.
(3) 2-year term; entire Senate went up for reelection in 1952 due to redistricting. Texas Constitution Art. III, §3, Election and term of office of Senators.
(4) In Senate, Maribelle (Mrs. W. Lacy) Stewart, in special election 4/19/1947, sworn 4/23/1947, succeeded to unexpired term of W. Lacy Stewart, died 3/22/1947. She resigned 12/3/1948, and was succeeded for unexpired term in special election 1/9/1949, by J. Searcy Bracewell, Jr., sworn 1/11/1949. In House, Carlton Moore, Sr., in special election 1/8/1949, sworn 1/11/1949, succeeded J. Searcy Bracewell, Jr., resigned 12/9/1948. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004, 2005.

Biographical Notes and Resources top

Selected Newspaper articles

Resolutions and Journal entries

• 53rd Legislature, R.S., SR 30. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.
• 54th Legislature, R.S., SR 15. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary.

Biographical Sketches

• Memorial biographical sketch and photo. A State of Remembrance, 2005.
• Memorial, July 2003, p. 624. Texas Bar Journal.

Military Service Notes

• United States Army, Major, World War II. "As a former Texas A&M Cadet, Searcy Bracewell was called to active duty as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1941. After an initial assignment as a cavalry officer at Fort Clark, he shipped out to England in 1943 to join the forces gathering for the invasion of Europe. He was assigned to a position as Assistant G-4 on the staff of Gen. George Patton's Third Army, where he served until the end of the war. He was awarded the European Theater Medal with five battle stars and was honorably discharged as a major in 1945." Memorials, Searcy Bracewell, Jr.
  "From 1941-45 he served in the U.S. Army, with two and a half years spent overseas during World War II. He served in World War II as a member of Gen. George Patton's staff in charge of supplies and evacuation." "Searcy Bracewell, Founding Partner of Bracewell & Patterson, Dies 5/15/03." Joseph Marion Bracewell Genealogy and Family History.
• United States Army, Major. "During World War II he served on the staff of General George Patton's Third Army; he left the service with the rank of major in 1945." A State of Remembrance, 2005.
• United States Army. Photo and salute. With Honor and Gratitude: A Special Thank You to Our Texas Senate Members Who Served Our Country, 2017.

Other Resources

• Memorials - Joseph Searcy Bracewell, Jr. - Obituary; Bracewell & Patterson law firm, "Searcy Bracewell, Founding Partner of Bracewell & Patterson, Dies," 5/15/2003. Joseph Marion Bracewell Genealogy and Family History.

Photographs

• Photograph. Searcy Bracewell, 55th Legislature, State Preservation Board
• Photograph. Searcy Bracewell, 54th Legislature, State Preservation Board
• Photograph. Searcy Bracewell, 53rd Legislature, State Preservation Board
• Photograph. Searcy Bracewell, 52nd Legislature, State Preservation Board
• Photograph. Searcy Bracewell, 51st Legislature, State Preservation Board
• Photograph. Searcy Bracewell Jr., 50th Legislature, State Preservation Board

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

• 51st session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.
• 52nd session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.
• 53rd session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.
• 54th session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.
• 55th session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.
• 50th session composite photo of House members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GW.C1). State Preservation Board.

Committee Information top

55th R.S. - 1957 Aged Citizens   Archives, Texas Employment Commission, and Insurance Buildings   Banking   Constitutional Amendments   Counties, Cities and Towns   Insurance (Chair)  Legislative, Congressional and Judicial Districts   Nominations   Oil and Gas   State Affairs   Utilize Available Space in Capitol Building   Water and Conservation

54th R.S. - 1955 Banking   Civil Jurisprudence   Commerce and Manufacturing   Congressional Districts (Chair)  Constitutional Amendments   General Investigating (Chair)  Insurance   Nominations of the Governor   Oil, Gas and Conservation   Privileges and Elections   Rules (Vice Chair)  Segregation in Public Schools, Advisory   State Affairs (Vice Chair)

53rd R.S. - 1953 Banking   Civil Jurisprudence   Committee of the Whole Senate   Congressional Districts   Constitutional Amendments   Criminal Jurisprudence   Game and Fish   Insurance   Nominations of the Governor (Chair)  Oil, Gas and Conservation   Poet Laureate Selection, Special   Privileges and Elections   Public Health   Rules (Chair)  State Affairs   State Highways and Motor Traffic   State Penitentiaries   Texas Commission on Higher Education   Towns and City Corporations   Water Rights, Irrigation and Drainage

52nd R.S. - 1951 Aeronautics   Banking   Civil Jurisprudence   Congressional Districts   Constitutional Amendments   Corporation Laws Revision, Special   Criminal Jurisprudence (Chair)  Insurance   Internal Improvements   Labor   Military and Veterans' Affairs   Oil, Gas and Conservation (Vice Chair)  Privileges and Elections   State Affairs   State Penitentiaries   Water Rights, Irrigation and Drainage

51st R.S. - 1949 Aeronautics   Criminal Jurisprudence   Engrossed Bills (Chair)  Enrolled Bills (Chair)  Finance   General Investigating   General Investigating, Special   Interstate Cooperation   Labor   Military Affairs   Oil, Gas and Conservation   Penitentiaries   Veterans' Affairs   Water Rights, Irrigation and Drainage

50th R.S. - 1947 Constitutional Amendments   Counties   Judiciary   Motor Traffic   Revenue and Taxation   Student Activities at A&M College, Investigation, Special