85R19228 CJM-D
By: Clardy H.R. No. 1228
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Citizens from across the Lone Star State are
mourning the loss of former Supreme Court of Texas Chief Justice
Jack Pope Jr., who passed away on February 25, 2017, at the age of
103; and
WHEREAS, Andrew Jackson "Jack" Pope Jr. was born in Abilene
on April 18, 1913, to Dr. Andrew Jackson Pope Sr., a pioneer
physician, and Ruth Adelia Taylor; after graduating from Abilene
High School in 1930, he attended Abilene Christian University,
where he served as president of the student association, earned
letters in debate and tennis, and graduated with a bachelor of arts
degree in 1934; he continued his education at The University of
Texas at Austin, serving as student editor of the Texas Law Review
and receiving a bachelor of laws degree in 1937; and
WHEREAS, In June of that year, Mr. Pope was licensed to
practice law in Texas, and he moved to Corpus Christi to join the
firm of his uncle, former state representative Walter E. Pope; he
soon established himself as a capable attorney whose practice dealt
with criminal and civil matters, including creditors' rights, oil
and gas issues, real estate transactions, and personal injury and
family law; at the encouragement of his uncle, he also took
appellate cases, which he briefed and argued before the Court of
Civil Appeals in San Antonio and the Supreme Court of Texas; and
WHEREAS, On June 11, 1938, Jack Pope married Allene Nichols,
a fellow UT graduate; in the course of a loving partnership that
lasted 66 years, they became the proud parents of two sons,
A. J. and Allen; and
WHEREAS, Following the outbreak of World War II, this
patriotic Texan enlisted in the U.S. Navy, even though as a father,
he was exempt from the draft; he served his country as a
cryptologist in Washington, D.C., and as part of the legal team at
the Naval Air Training Station in Corpus Christi; and
WHEREAS, Honorably discharged in 1946, Jack Pope established
a private law practice with O. E. Cannon and Sam Pittman; soon
after, he was appointed to fill the unexpired term of 94th District
Court Judge Allen Wood; the youngest district judge in Texas at the
time, he began speaking at legal institutes and bar association
meetings and expressing his thoughts on the jury system, the best
administration of court trials, and the proper methods to present
and exclude evidence; and
WHEREAS, Judge Pope went on to serve on the Fourth Court of
Civil Appeals in San Antonio from 1950 to 1964; while a member of
that bench, he helped reshape Texas water law by analyzing the
question of riparian rights of irrigation in Spanish and Mexican
land grants; his seminal opinion in the matter was subsequently
adopted by the Supreme Court of Texas; years later, author James A.
Michener sought Mr. Pope's expertise on the historical role of
water when researching his acclaimed 1985 novel, Texas; and
WHEREAS, In 1964, Jack Pope was elected to the Supreme Court
of Texas, and as an associate justice, he led efforts to enact
judicial and procedural reforms and helped draft significant
rulings on property rights; he was appointed by Governor William
P. Clements as the 23rd chief justice in 1982 and elected to that
position two years later; and
WHEREAS, Known for the clarity of his thought and writing,
Chief Justice Pope served as a Texas judge for 38 years, the longest
judicial tenure in the state's history; he wrote more than 1,000
opinions and over 70 law-related articles, a staggering amount that
represents the largest contribution by a single individual to the
jurisprudence of the Lone Star State; and
WHEREAS, This remarkable public servant, who began his career
before the advent of formal judicial training, was an advocate for
the professional education of Texas judges; his efforts culminated
in the establishment of compulsory judicial education and the
adoption of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct by the Supreme Court
of Texas; and
WHEREAS, Committed to ensuring justice for all Texans, Jack
Pope was instrumental in establishing the first permanent funding
source for legal aid in this state; rather than relying on tax
revenue, his plan uses interest paid out on attorneys' client-trust
accounts, and the money generated by this program currently funds
legal services for more than 100,000 families in such matters as
wrongful foreclosure, domestic violence, and cases where veterans
have not received their earned benefits; in 2013, in tribute to his
trailblazing efforts in behalf of legal aid, the Texas Legislature
passed the Chief Justice Jack Pope Act, which increased from $10
million to $50 million the amount that the Office of the Attorney
General can transfer to the Supreme Court of Texas to support the
provision of basic legal services for those who cannot otherwise
afford them; and
WHEREAS, In retirement, Chief Justice Pope donated most of
his papers to Abilene Christian University and The University of
Texas School of Law; in addition, he made a special contribution, a
portion of his personal law library, to the University of North
Texas at Dallas College of Law; this generous gift included a
complete set of signed South Western Reporters, bound compilations
of reported judicial decisions in the southwestern United States;
and
WHEREAS, Chief Justice Pope also played a crucial role in
establishing the State Law Library as a separate agency in 1971 and
served as a member emeritus of the Friends of the State Law Library
Board of Directors; the library later recognized him and another
former chief justice, the late Joe Greenhill, with the creation of
the Greenhill-Pope Law Book Fund; he further contributed to his
profession as a charter member of the Texas Center for Legal Ethics
and as a cofounder of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society,
which published a collection of his writings under the title Common
Law Judge; and
WHEREAS, Chief Justice Pope credited Abilene Christian
University with his many achievements, and in return for the
invaluable lessons he learned there, he became one of the school's
staunchest supporters, joining the board of trustees in 1954 and
serving on the senior board for many years; he also chaired the
board for the Christian Chronicle newspaper; in appreciation for
his immeasurable service to the university, Abilene Christian
conferred on him an Outstanding Alumnus of the Year award and a
Change the World Award, and since 1989, through the Jack Pope
Fellows Program, it has bestowed scholarships on outstanding
students intending to pursue a career in public service; and
WHEREAS, Among countless other accolades, Chief Justice Pope
received four honorary degrees, the inaugural Judicial Lifetime
Achievement Award from the State Bar of Texas, the inaugural Chief
Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award from the Texas Center for
Legal Ethics, and an Outstanding Alumnus Award from The University
of Texas School of Law; and
WHEREAS, In his final years, Chief Justice Pope remained
deeply grateful for his friends, neighbors, members of his church,
University Avenue Church of Christ, his longtime secretary, the
late Peggy Littlefield, and Lauren Barrett and the team of
caregivers whom he affectionately referred to as the "Little United
Nations" and about whom he wrote a book, describing them and their
ideas on caring for the elderly; and
WHEREAS, A true Texas statesman, Jack Pope was motivated not
by love of self but rather by an abiding concern for others, and
those he leaves behind will continue to find inspiration in his
accomplishments for many years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the life of Chief Justice Jack
Pope and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to
his sons, A. J. Pope III and his wife, Carla, and Allen Pope and his
wife, Karen; to his grandchildren, Drew Pope, Ryan Pope and his
wife, Erin, and Billie Pope Locke and her husband, Jeff; to his
great-grandchildren, Dylan and Peyton Locke and Carinn and Caitlin
Pope; and to his other relatives and many friends; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of the
Honorable Jack Pope Jr.