Atlanta’s Howard A. Carney was governor for a day
Lawyer went on to win two cases before Supreme Court
Sen. Howard A. Carney of Atlanta, Texas, became Texas governor for a day on June 6, 1952. When sitting at that desk, he was Cass County’s first and only Texas governor.
At the time, Gov. Alan Shivers was out of state and so was Lt. Governor Ben Ramsey. That left the leadership duty to the president pro tempore of the senate. This was Carney, first district senator of Atlanta, who had been unanimously named by his senate colleagues to this senate leadership post in 1951.
Carney was first elected in 1944 and re-elected in 1948. He had been vice-chairman and then chairman of the senate finance committee.
According a local publicity paper, during his service Carney had helped elevate the public school and highway systems and other departments, all without use of sales or income tax. The state ad valorem tax had been abolished and no bonded indebtedness existed for Texas. Cass County had gained 146 miles of farm to market roads and 52 miles of primary highway. Hughes springs was indebted to him for the highways to Lone Star and Marietta.
A description of his working style was given by one reporter who knew him.
“In the Senate, he always appears promptly at his desk for every roll call and reflects honor upon his constituents in his neat personal appearance and his friendly attitude toward his colleagues. He shows an ability to grapple with the problems of the state not only on the floor of the Senate but in the committee room as well.”
Carney had given over 50 years of service to his community and
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, but where you are going.” —Howard A. Carney
legal profession. When he was inaugurated, some 300 of his friends traveled to Austin to congratulate him.
The occasion was largely one to pass out resolutions and honorariums. On his decision making day, several worthy citizens received an honorary Texas Ranger membership from the governor.
Carney had first been elected to the senate in 1944. This was from district one, which had five counties. Carney won four of them. He lost in Bowie but overall outdistanced his other two opponents by 2,000 votes.
After being elected for a second senatorial term in 1948, Gov.
Shivers appointed him secretary of state in 1951. He held that position for a year and a half before retiring to return to Cass County to assume, upon his father’s death, full responsibility for the law firm his father Judge Hugh Carney had established.
Described by those who knew him, Carney was a good speaker and one who remained close to his grassroots, thereby making those around him feel comfortable.
His day of appointment may have been the highlight of his career, but perhaps of even more importance had been the fact that he would argue two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and win them both.
One legal observer said Carney achieved the decisions because of “his skillful presentation and quick wit.”
After his public service, he was appointed to the fish and game committee which was fitting because Carney was enthusiastic about the outdoors. As a youth, he loved to hunt and fish and sell vegetables from his family’s farm. As a politician, he had a lot to do with the improvement and preservation of Caddo Lake.
Howard Carney came from a prominent family. He was the son of Cass County District Judge Hugh Carney who had also been both district judge and district attorney. Born Jan. 20, 1904, he earned his law degree in 1926 from Cumberland Law School in Lebanon, Tennessee.
He played on the first Atlanta Rabbit football team, and as a youth in high school he was affectionately known as “Kitty” because of his love for cats.
He later became a charter member of the Lions Club and taught Sunday School at the Atlanta First Baptist Church for 35 years.
He married Aline Cochran. Their three children were Sally, Howard Jr. and Carol.
When he died, the Texas Senate honored him with a resolution signed by Lt. Gov. W.P. Hobby and members of the Senate. In the resolution, Carney was said to hold a “permanent place in the hearts of officials for outstanding public service.”
He had a favorite saying which was, “It doesn’t matter where you come from, but where you are going.”