Donor:  William Stallings

Description: The third gentleman from the left in a light colored suit and cowboy boots holding a Stetson hat proved to be Congressman Richard M. Kleberg of Corpus Christi. He was a descendant of the King family and a part owner of the historic King Ranch, the largest ranch in the country. He was elected to Congress in 1931 and was known as the “Cowboy Congressman” and in his early years was a cowboy on the ranch. That explains the sign with the cut-out illustration of a cowboy roping a steer. All the others in the picture are so far unidentified, except the tall man third from the right, is a very young Lyndon Baines Johnson. LBJ, as we know him, was appointed the first assistant to the congressman in 1931. Congressman Kleberg was an early supporter of FDR’s New Deal and thus the Civilian Conservation Corps. Later by 1938 he lost faith in the program and opposed much of it.

Not like the Congressman, LBJ stayed a firm believer in the New Deal, and in 1935 became the first Texas Director of the National Youth Administration (NYA) Aubrey Williams was the national director. This work/study program was also open to young women and proved successful. Interviews indicate that time in the NYA provided a job skill that enabled participants to get a good job after leaving. Observations provided by a CCC Legacy member.