Changes

==State politics==

==State politics==

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Barnhart's political interest began with two terms on the city council in Pasadena, which he describes at the time as "a lovely community but politically corrupt."<ref name=statement>Statement of Ray Barnhart, January 7, 2010.</ref> He and other businessmen worked to establish a mayor-council form of government to replace the city commission government then in place in Pasadena and first used in 1901 in nearby Galveston, Texas|Galveston]]. "We found it was hard to get good people to run for the city offices," he said. After two terms on the council, Barnhart ran unsuccessfully for mayor but was defeated by Clyde Doyle, a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]].<ref name=statement/> In Texas, municipal offices are technically non-partisan, and hence no party labels appear on the ballot. Barnhart recalls that a half dozen Pasadena officials were indicted in the late 1950s and early 1960s for public corruption.<ref name=statement/>​

Barnhart's political interest began with two terms on the city council in Pasadena, which he describes at the time as "a lovely community but politically corrupt."<ref name=statement>Statement of Ray Barnhart, January 7, 2010.</ref> He and other businessmen worked to establish a mayor-council form of government to replace the city commission government then in place in Pasadena and first used in 1901 in nearby [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]]. "We found it was hard to get good people to run for the city offices," he said. After two terms on the council, Barnhart ran unsuccessfully for mayor but was defeated by Clyde Doyle, a [[Democratic Party|Democrat]].<ref name=statement/> In Texas, municipal offices are technically non-partisan, and hence no party labels appear on the ballot. Barnhart recalls that a half dozen Pasadena officials were indicted in the late 1950s and early 1960s for public corruption.<ref name=statement/>​

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In 1972, Barnhart was elected to a two-year term in revised District 100 (previously District 24-6)<ref>Because of changes in district lines over the years, District 100 is now in [[Dallas]], rather than Harris County.</ref> in the state House of Representatives, when President [[Richard M. Nixon and [[U.S. Senator]] [[John Tower]] were heading the state Republican ticket, along with the defeated gubernatorial nominee [[Henry C. Grover]] of Houston. Barnhart's House colleagues included Ray Hutchison(1932-2014) of Dallas and Kay Bailey Hutchison|Kay Bailey]] of Harris County. The two married during their common legislative tenure, and Kay Bailey Hutchison went on to the [[United States Senate]] in 1993. In the 1974 session, the legislature became an ''ex officio'' constitutional convention headed by Speaker Price Daniel, Jr., of Liberty, Texas. In the deliberations Barnhart opposed a motion to "guarantee equal educational opportunity and free public schools" to all citizens. As drafted, Barnhart said that the motion, offered by the [[University of Texas]] Board of Regents chairman Frank Erwin would have prevented the state from charging tuition and fees at its public colleges and universities. Legislators acting as delegates fell three votes short of the 121/188, or 2/3 supermajority needed to adopt the new constitution. The state is hence still governed by the Texas Constitution of 1876. In 1974, a strongly Democratic year nationally as well as in Texas, Barnhart was defeated for a second term in the legislature by the Democrat Bill Caraway. Barnhart recalls that certain members of the Sagemont Church, a mission of First [[Baptist]] Church of Pasadena, organized in 1966 by founding pastor John D. Morgan,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sagemontchurch.org/about/the-sagemont-story/|title=Biographical Data|publisher=Sagemontchurch.org|accessdate=July 20, 2014}}</ref> worked against Barnhart because of his [[conservative]] fiscal policies and succeeded in bringing about the freshman lawmaker's defeat. Barnhart added that the long-serving pastor John Morgan had no role in the political action.<ref name=statement/>​

In 1972, Barnhart was elected to a two-year term in revised District 100 (previously District 24-6)<ref>Because of changes in district lines over the years, District 100 is now in Dallas, rather than Harris County.</ref> in the state House of Representatives, when President [[Richard M. Nixon]] and [[U.S. Senator]] [[John Tower]] were heading the state Republican ticket, along with the defeated gubernatorial nominee [[Henry C. Grover]] of Houston. Barnhart's House colleagues included Ray Hutchison(1932-2014) of Dallas and Kay Bailey Hutchison|Kay Bailey]] of Harris County. The two married during their common legislative tenure, and Kay Bailey Hutchison went on to the [[United States Senate]] in 1993.  

 

In the 1974 session, the legislature became an ''ex officio'' constitutional convention headed by Speaker Price Daniel, Jr., of Liberty, Texas. In the deliberations Barnhart opposed a motion to "guarantee equal educational opportunity and free public schools" to all citizens. As drafted, Barnhart said that the motion, offered by the [[University of Texas]] Board of Regents chairman Frank Erwin would have prevented the state from charging tuition and fees at its public colleges and universities. Legislators acting as delegates fell three votes short of the 121/188, or 2/3 supermajority needed to adopt the new constitution. The state is hence still governed by the Texas Constitution of 1876. In 1974, a strongly Democratic year nationally as well as in Texas, Barnhart was defeated for a second term in the legislature by the Democrat Bill Caraway. Barnhart recalls that certain members of the Sagemont Church, a mission of First [[Baptist]] Church of Pasadena, organized in 1966 by founding pastor John D. Morgan,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sagemontchurch.org/about/the-sagemont-story/|title=Biographical Data|publisher=Sagemontchurch.org|accessdate=July 20, 2014}}</ref> worked against Barnhart because of his [[conservative]] fiscal policies and succeeded in bringing about the freshman lawmaker's defeat. Barnhart added that the long-serving pastor John Morgan had no role in the political action.<ref name=statement/>​

==National politics==

==National politics==