W. Lee O'Daniel AKA Wilbert Lee O'Daniel Born: 11-Mar-1890 Birthplace: Malta, OH Died: 11-May-1969 Location of death: Dallas, TX Cause of death: unspecified Remains: Buried, Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas, TX
Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Politician, Country Musician Party Affiliation: Democratic Nationality: United States Executive summary: Governor of Texas, 1939-41 An advertising man and singer, in the mid-1920s O'Daniel co-opted a local Fort Worth band to promote Light Crust flour over the airwaves, renaming them the Light Crust Doughboys. His mode of speaking was informal, contrasting with other radio announcers of the day. After he become the most popular radio personality in Texas, O'Daniel formed his own flour company, his own band, and parlayed that success into real estate investments. In 1938, decades before the likes of Ronald Reagan, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Donald Trump, an entertainer came to be elected to a high American office. Wife: Merle Estella Butcher (d. 1972) Daughter: Molly O'Daniel Danielson (b. 1922, d. 1996)
University: Salt City Business College, Hutchinson, KS
US Senator, Texas (1941-49) Governor of Texas (1939-41)
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