| |
| |
|
|
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
|
|
|
WHEREAS, The State of Texas lost a distinguished public |
|
|
servant with the passing of the Honorable William M. Steger, U.S. |
|
|
District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas, on June 4, 2006, |
|
|
at the age of 85; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Born in Dallas on August 22, 1920, William Steger |
|
|
graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1938 and attended |
|
|
Baylor University from 1938 to 1941; he volunteered for the United |
|
|
States Army Air Corps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and was |
|
|
commissioned a second lieutenant and issued his pilot's wings in |
|
|
November 1942; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The young officer's service in the military included |
|
|
56 combat missions in the Tunisian, Sicilian, and Italian |
|
|
campaigns, and his heroism earned him the Air Medal and four Oak |
|
|
Leaf Clusters as well as a promotion to the rank of captain; on his |
|
|
return to the United States, he headed up testing of the first |
|
|
military jet aircraft until he was honorably discharged in 1947; |
|
|
and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In 1948, William Steger married Ann Hollandsworth |
|
|
and entered Southern Methodist University Law School; after |
|
|
receiving his degree in 1950, he started a private practice in |
|
|
Longview and became actively involved in the Republican Party; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, He served as a delegate to the 1952 Republican |
|
|
National Convention, and the following year he was appointed by |
|
|
President Eisenhower as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District |
|
|
of Texas; that appointment brought Judge Steger and his wife to |
|
|
Tyler, where he later joined the law firm of Wilson, Miller, Spivey, |
|
|
and Steger, practicing with that firm until 1970; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In 1960, the Republican Party of Texas nominated |
|
|
Judge Steger as its candidate for governor and, while unsuccessful |
|
|
in his bid for the governorship, his ability to draw votes enabled |
|
|
the party to hold its first presidential primary in Texas in 1964; |
|
|
he was also chosen by his party to run for congress in 1962; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Judge Steger's affiliation with the Republican |
|
|
Party continued for the rest of his life and included such |
|
|
significant posts as Republican presidential elector, member of the |
|
|
State Republican Executive Committee, subcommittee chair of the |
|
|
Texas Republican Task Force on Crime and Law Enforcement, delegate |
|
|
to the 1968 Republican National Convention, chair of the rules |
|
|
committee at the Texas Republican Party Convention, and, |
|
|
ultimately, chair of the Republican Party of Texas; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, After stepping down from the latter post following |
|
|
the 1970 elections, Judge Steger was appointed U.S. District Judge |
|
|
for the Eastern District of Texas by President Richard Nixon in |
|
|
December of that year, and he served his fellow citizens with great |
|
|
distinction in that capacity for the remainder of his life, |
|
|
presiding over more than 5,000 cases; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Recognized as a man of high moral character and |
|
|
integrity, Judge Steger was a charter member of Green Acres Baptist |
|
|
Church and sang with the church choir for more than 40 years; his |
|
|
notable career in jurisprudence and politics earned him recognition |
|
|
in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the Southwest, and Who's Who in |
|
|
Law in America; a 32nd degree Mason as well, he enjoyed membership |
|
|
in the Shriners and was an avid outdoorsman and fisherman |
|
|
throughout his life; he was also a devoted father to his son, |
|
|
Merritt Reed Steger, who preceded him in death; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Though it is impossible to gauge the full effect of a |
|
|
man's life, some individuals leave their unmistakable mark on the |
|
|
world as they move through it, and William Steger's contributions |
|
|
to his community, state, and nation will continue to resonate for |
|
|
many years to come; now, therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
|
|
hereby pay tribute to the life of the Honorable William M. Steger |
|
|
and extend deepest sympathy to the members of his family: to his |
|
|
wife, Ann Hollandsworth Steger; to his nieces and nephews, Barbara |
|
|
Schoolcraft, Sally Forte, Ann Nelson Grant, Scot McComas, Kelly |
|
|
Edens, and Andrew McComas; and to his other relatives and friends; |
|
|
and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of |
|
|
Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of |
|
|
Judge William M. Steger. |