Jerry Sadler

Gerald Anthony "Jerry" Sadler
23rd Commissioner of the General Land Office
In office 1961–1971
Governor	Price Daniel (1961-1963) John B. Connally, Jr. (1963-1969) Preston E. Smith (1969-1971)
Preceded by	Bill Alcorn
Succeeded by	Robert L. Armstrong
Texas State Representative from Anderson County
In office 1955–1961
Preceded by	James Paxton
Succeeded by	Rayford Price
Texas Railroad Commissioner
In office 1939–1942
Preceded by	Charles Vernon Terrell
Succeeded by	Beauford Jester
Personal details
Born	September 8, 1907 Near Palestine Anderson County Texas, USA
Died	February 25, 1982 (aged 74)
Resting place	Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Laura Jones Sadler
Residence	Austin, Texas
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1927-1929; 1942-1942
Rank	Lieutenant colonel
Battles/wars	World War II

Gerald Anthony Sadler, known as Jerry Sadler (September 8, 1907 – February 25, 1982), was a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Texas. He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1955 to 1961, the Texas Railroad Commission from 1938 to 1942, and the Commissioner of the General Land Office from 1961 to 1971.

Early years

Sadler was born near Palestine in Anderson County in East Texas. He served in the United States Army 12th Cavalry from 1927 to 1929 at Fort Brown in Brownsville in Cameron County, Texas.

Political career and wartime service

In 1938, Sadler was elected to the Texas Railroad Commission. One of his colleagues on the regulatory body was Ernest O. Thompson, the former mayor of Amarillo known as an expert on oil and natural gas policy. Sadler resigned from the commission in 1942 to enter the U.S. Army once again. He served during World War II in the Persian Gulf command and was honorably discharged in 1945 at the rank of lieutenant colonel.

After the war, Sadler returned to Anderson County. In the 1946 gubernatorial election, Sadler ran for the Democratic nomination, but was defeated by his successor on the Railroad Commission, Beauford H. Jester of Corsicana in Navarro County.

After he represented Anderson County in the Texas House for six years, Sadler was elected in 1960 as the state Land Commissioner, a position that he held for a decade. In 1962, Sadler opposed Senator Ralph Yarborough’s plans to create a National Seashore at South Padre Island. Sadler claimed that a National Seashore that took over state-owned tidelands would prohibit the removal of oil and natural gas and thus deprive Texas of millions of dollars in revenues that would otherwise contribute to the Permanent School Fund. Using emotionally charged phrases such as "summarily stripped of such great wealth," Commissioner Sadler persuaded Governor Price Daniel, Sr., to appoint a statewide committee to study the feasibility of a state park in place of the National Seashore.

Ultimately, the Padre Island National Seashore was designated. Ironically, Padre Island would provide the setting for the final phase of Sadler’s tenure as Land Commissioner. Starting in 1968, Sadler was involved with the Platoro company of Indiana, which was dredging along the Gulf Coast near South Padre Island and found the wreck of a Spanish galleon. Platoro kept the treasures, which were removed to Indiana. When Sadler’s name was linked to the company, he went on an offensive demanding accountings from the company, but his involvement became a brewing scandal.

In 1969, State Representative Jake Johnson of San Antonio held a press conference demanding the return of the Spanish treasure. "At the conference, Sadler ended up holding Johnson in a choke hold as a radio reporter stuck a microphone in his face and asked him for comment. 'The land commissioner is choking me,' Johnson replied." ^[1]

Jerry Sadler monument at Texas State Cemetery in Austin, Texas

The following year, State Representative Bob Armstrong of Austin defeated Sadler in the Democratic primary and went on to hold that position for twelve years.

Sadler died in 1982. He was survived by his wife, the former Laura Jones (born August 24, 1920). He is like Armstrong interred at Texas State Cemetery in Austin.

References

1. San Antonio Express-News, March 1, 2007