Prints and Photographs Collection
Price Daniel
Governor Daniel had spent a lifetime opposing the sales tax in Texas, only to be forced to see it become law in 1961 to keep the state from going broke. Largely because of public disgruntlement over the tax, he was defeated in his bid for an unprecendented fourth term in 1962. Returning to the practice of law, Daniel again held public office as head of the Office of Emergency Preparedness under President Johnson, and served as LBJ's liaison to the nation's governors.
In 1971, Governor Preston Smith appointed Daniel to fill a vacancy on the Texas Supreme Court. This photo shows his swearing in on January 4, 1971. He was elected to the court in 1972 and 1979, retiring during his second term. As a justice, Daniel was influential in the areas of groundwater law, as well as laws dealing with minerals such as uranium, oil, and gas.