John Nance Garner Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

John Nance Garner IV best known among his peers as Cactus Jack is an American politician and lawyer from Texas. Born on November 22, 1868, John Nance Garner served as the 32nd Vice President of the United States of American from 1933 to 1941. Before rising to that office, John Nance Garner served as the Democratic representative of Texas from 1898 to 1902.

John Nance Garner was a US Representative from 1903 until 1933 where John Nance Garner became the 39th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1931 to 1933. With his conservative ideology, John Nance Garner was against sit down strikes of labor unions and highly opposed the New Deal’s deficit spending. His relationship with President Franklin D. Roosevelt was not the best in early 1937, as he was against the decision of enlarging the Supreme Court. John Nance Garner was the conviction that such act would put much power in the hands of the President and John Nance Garner remained resolved as he tried helped to defeat it.

Early Life And Family

John Nance Garner was born to John Nance Garner III and Sarah Jane on November 22, 1868, in Detroit, Red River County in Texas. John Nance Garner received education from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee but dropped out after his first semester. While there John Nance Garner was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He then decided to study law, and in 1890, John Nance Garner was admitted to the bar.

Career

John Nance Garner started his law practice in Uvalde, Uvalde County in Texas. John Nance Garner ventured into politics in 1983 as John Nance Garner contested for county judge of Uvalde County. During this period, the Democrats had a strong presence in Texas and dominated the city. John Nance Garner contested in the primary of the Democrat for the node of the county judge against Mariette Rheiner, daughter of a rancher who later became Garner’s wife. He eventually got the nod and went on to become the County Judge serving until 1896.

Texas Politics

In 1898, John Nance Garner successfully contested to become the Texas House of Representatives running on the ticket of the Democrats. He was re-elected in 1900. During his two-term tenure, John Nance Garner selected a state flower for Texas. John Nance Garner was highly in favor of the prickly pear cactus earning him the nickname "Cactus Jack." John Nance Garner voted in favor of the poll tax in 1901, which was aimed to make voter registration very difficult in order to bring down the registration of black minority and poor white voters. This law until the 1960s disfranchised many minority voters and made Texas safe havens for the Democrats.

John Nance Garner was voted into the United States House of Representatives from the newly created 15th congressional district in 1902. John Nance Garner represented the district until 1933, winning fourteen elections in the process. In 1929, John Nance Garner was appointed by the Democrats to serve as the minority floor leader. John Nance Garner served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in 1931 after the Democrats became the majority in the house.

Vice Presidency

John Nance Garner wanted to advance his political career as he contested for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1932. Other contestants for the seat were Franklin D. Roosevelt, governor of New York and the strongest contender. Roosevelt failed to gain the necessary vote and therefore made a deal with Garner to make him his Vice-Presidential candidate.  On November 8, 1932, John Nance Garner was elected as Vice President of the United States and the same day was re-elected into the House of Representatives. This made him the second after Schuyler Colfax to become Speaker of the House and President of the Senate.

In 1936, John Nance Garner was re-elected as the Vice President with Roosevelt. John Nance Garner served until the term ended on January 20, 1941. The Vice Presidency of the United States was during that period more of a ceremonial position and had less influence on decision and policies. John Nance Garner described the vice-presidency as "not worth a bucket of warm piss." 

Personal Life

John Nance Garner was married to Mariette Rheiner on November 25, 1875, in Sabinal, Texas. The couple had one child, Tully Charles Garner. He died on November 7, 1967, few days before his 99th birthday. John Nance Garner is currently the longest-lived United States Vice President followed by Levi P. Morton who died at age 96. John Nance Garner was buried in Uvalde Cemetery.