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Part V

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Changing Political Ideas Through Eras in Texas Alfredo E. Cárdenas Part 5 of a Series At the height of the Depression, Archie Parr began his downslide in politics, with his heir apparent being his son George. However, George seemed to have always been getting into trouble and was finally convicted of Federal income tax evasion, sent to Federal prison. Archie managed to get George out on parole within a year. But, as a convicted felon, the son had to give up his post as county judge and forfeited his right to hold office or vote. A decade later, President Harry Truman granted George a presidential pardon, and he reentered elective office for a few turbulent years. While the present scholarship maintains that the Parrs ruled as despots without restraint, the Parr hold on the politics of Duval County was intrinsically wedded to the Tejano community through friendship and mutual loyalty. After his father’s death, George took complete control of the county’s political apparatus and ambitiou...

Tejanos made significant contributions to Duval County

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  Changing Political Ideas Through Eras in Texas Alfredo E. Cárdenas Part 4 of a Series Tejanos made significant contributions to Duval County’s history and progress in fields beyond politics. While Tejano businesses multiplied during the Parr era from 1912 to 1975, they had always been part of the commercial establishment, operating mom-and-pop stores in the barrios. By the 1930s, they managed dealerships for some of the most prominent corporate brands in the country, such as Chevrolet, Ford, and Texaco. During the Great Depression (1929–1939), Tejanos held professional positions, including four doctors, three pharmacists, five school administrators, and a lawyer. They also held trade jobs, including 42 barbers, 21 mechanics, 20 butchers, eight bakers, and two printers. With 95 Tejano employees, they made up 94 percent of the county’s workforce. During the Archie Parr era, Tejanos also made their mark in education. In 1932, for example, every member of the San Diego school board w...

Duval County Tejanos Step up to Govern

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Changing Political Ideas Through Eras in Texas Alfredo E. Cárdenas Part 3 of a Series After dispatching his family to safety in Corpus Christi, Benavides County Commissioner Archie Parr went to San Diego and offered help to the Tejano community, counseling them to refrain from responding in kind; he advised vengeance would be a mistake. While an all-Americano jury in faraway East Texas acquitted the three Americano shooters, the history of Duval County changed forever. Tejanos finally began to take command of their political destiny. They shared power with Parr, but make no mistake, Parr would be a footnote in history had it not been for the overwhelming Tejano vote with which he partnered. Indeed, Tejanos were already marching towards the same disposition; it may have taken longer without the Parrs, but the trend and numbers indicate that Tejanos would soon dominate politics. “What can we expect from a political party that has its genesis in spilling Mexican blood?” La Libertad publ...

Duval County Political Development Through History, Part II

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Duval County Political Development Through History Alfredo E. Cárdenas Part 2 of a Series Duval County Tejanos saw promise in the new land laws adopted by Texas, which were designed to protect their land ownership, which they had acquired from Spain and Mexico. Moreover, the Texas political structure could serve as a vehicle to achieve goals of protecting not only their land but also ensuring their political liberties . Since only a handful of Americanos lived in the unorganized county of Duval before the Civil War, Tejanos were in a position to dominate the electoral process. Duval County Tejanos began to assert their political rights in a special election called by the governor in 1860 to select a district judge who would determine their land rights. The Tejanos’ choice for the judgeship won the election, but Governor Sam Houston threw out the Duval votes, giving the win to one of his financial and political supporters. The district court ruled in favor of the Tejano candidate. The...

Duval County Political History Through Time

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Duval County Political Development Through History Alfredo E. Cárdenas Part 1 of a Series. Duval County Tejanos: An Epic Narrative of Liberty and Democracy , my recently published book by the University of North Texas Press, delves into the remarkable historical narrative of Mexican-American (Tejano) involvement in Duval County, aiming to achieve parity in social, economic, and political spheres with Americanos. Duval County Tejanos spans over two centuries, showcasing the changes adopted and developed by Tejanos from the days under Spanish rule (1746-1821) and extending beyond the end of the Parr regime. Published scholarship on Duval County during the Archie, George, and Archer Parr era (1912–1975) portrays a scenario in which bosses exploited the poor and uneducated Mexican population for personal gain and enrichment. However, Tejanos, early on, persisted in a modus vivendi of partnering with the administration holding political power. This strategic approach aimed to forge a mutua...

Remembering my father

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I know it is not Father's Day, but do we need a special day to remember them? Shouldn't we have them in our minds constantly, like we do Our Father in Heaven? Well, I ask my Holy Father and my earthly father, now in God's Kinsgdom, to pray for me. I do the same with my mother. But, as I grow older and become more engaged in my writing, he has become my inspiration. In any case, here is a poem I received from one of my children many years ago, which comforts me today. And to put in my father's own words: Have a blessed Lenten Friday!

Duval County Tejanos is accepting orders for shipping

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(At the end of this month, September 2024, my new book, Duval County Tejanos, An Epic Narrative of Liberty and Democracy, will be available for shipping. Below, I share part of distinguished Texas historian Arnoldo de Leon's Foreword for the book. This is only part of his piece, but it provides readers with ample information to whet their appetite for a good story.  After reading it, I invite you to order your autographed copy at the link below the blog . ) ********** The history of Mexican Americans (Tejanos) in Duval County spans more than two centuries. In Alfredo E. Cárdenas’s survey of that history, people of different origins—immigrants from Spain and Mexico as early as the eighteenth century, joined in the nineteenth century by newcomers from the United States and Europe—descended on land belonging to Indigenous groups, and on that section of the brush country of South Texas sought new beginnings. Frustrating their occupation were numerous problems. During the last half of t...