Summary
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Ken Towery (1923- ), Pultizer Prize-winning Texas reporter and former POW, was born in 1923 in Monroe County, Mississippi. His papers contain newspapers, clippings, magazines, and moving images documenting his investigation of the Veterans Land Board Scandal in 1954-1955.
Biographical Note
Ken Towery (1923- ), Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and former POW, was born in 1923 in Monroe County, Mississippi. After World War II, Towery attended Southwest Texas Junior College and became the managing editor of the Cuero Daily Record in Cuero, Texas.
In 1955, Towery was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for breaking the story and publishing a series of articles exposing fraud and corruption in the Texas Veterans Land Programs. Towery had discovered that white Cuero businessmen were paying black and hispanic veterans to sign over veterans loan applications to buy land. The Veterans Land Board was investigated by the State Legislature, and Texas Land Commissioner Bascom Giles was indicted and served three years in the Texas State Penitentiary. In total, twenty people were indicted in nine counties.
Towery went on to work in government service and was active in politics and political campaigns.
Sources:
Accountable: Ken Tower and The Veterans Land Board Scandal. Texas General Land Office.
Kaderli, Elizabeth, "Veterans' Land Board Scandal," Handbook of Texas Online (accessed October 15, 2009)
Towery, Ken, The Chow Dipper: A Personal and Political Odyssey. Austin, Texas: Eakin Press, 1994
Ken Towery Papers (KT.AR.272). Archives and Records, Texas General Land Office.
Scope and Content
In 1955, Towery was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for breaking the story and publishing a series of articles exposing fraud and corruption in the Texas Veterans Land Programs. Towery had discovered that white Cuero businessmen were paying black and hispanic veterans to sign over veterans loan applications to buy land. The Veterans Land Board was investigated by the State Legislature, and Texas Land Commissioner Bascom Giles was indicted and served three years in the Texas State Penitentiary. In total, twenty people were indicted in nine counties.
Towery went on to work in government service and was active in politics and political campaigns.
Sources:
Accountable: Ken Tower and The Veterans Land Board Scandal. Texas General Land Office.
Kaderli, Elizabeth, "Veterans' Land Board Scandal," Handbook of Texas Online (accessed October 15, 2009)
Towery, Ken, The Chow Dipper: A Personal and Political Odyssey. Austin, Texas: Eakin Press, 1994
Ken Towery Papers (KT.AR.272). Archives and Records, Texas General Land Office.
The Ken Towery Papers, 1954-2003, contain newspapers, clippings, magazines, and moving images. The bulk of the collection is comprised of newspapers, magazines, and clippings containing articles about Towery and the Veterans Land Board Scandal investigation and trials in Austin and DeWitt County.
The scandal, during which local white businessmen coerced African-American and Mexican-American veterans into signing over rights to land-purchase loans, is well documented as reported by the local daily six-page paper where the story first broke. Of note are editorials and letters to the editor that reflect local perspectives. Also included are articles by Towery and others and UP wires from Austin.
This collection also contains the May 3, 1955 edition of Edward R. Murrow’s CBS television program See It Now, which highlighted Towery’s investigation and Pulitzer Prize, and footage of the 2003 ceremony at which Towery donated his papers to the Texas General Land Office.
Date
The scandal, during which local white businessmen coerced African-American and Mexican-American veterans into signing over rights to land-purchase loans, is well documented as reported by the local daily six-page paper where the story first broke. Of note are editorials and letters to the editor that reflect local perspectives. Also included are articles by Towery and others and UP wires from Austin.
This collection also contains the May 3, 1955 edition of Edward R. Murrow’s CBS television program See It Now, which highlighted Towery’s investigation and Pulitzer Prize, and footage of the 2003 ceremony at which Towery donated his papers to the Texas General Land Office.
1954-2003
Extent
1.67 Linear feet (3 oversized boxes)
Language
English
Arrangement
The Papers are organized into 3 series:
I. Partial and Complete Newspapers and Clippings, 1954-1955
II. Magazines, 1955
III. Moving Images, 1955, 2003
Preferred Citation
I. Partial and Complete Newspapers and Clippings, 1954-1955
II. Magazines, 1955
III. Moving Images, 1955, 2003
Ken Towery Papers (KT.AR.272). Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin.
Access Restrictions
Unrestricted access.
Use Restrictions
Materials may be under copyright protection. US copyright law does allow for reproduction of materials under copyright for uses such as critique, criticism, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, locating copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form.