Vincent Waggoner Carr (October 1, 1918 – February 25, 2004) was an American politician who served as the speaker of the Texas House of Representatives from 1957 to 1961 and as the attorney general of Texas from 1963 to 1967.
Early life Carr was born in Hunt County, East Texas, going on to serve in the Army Air Corps during World War 2. During the Great Depression his family was forced to move to Lubbock after the closure of the family bank.
Legal and political career He served as Lubbock assistant district attorney in 1947-48 and then Lubbock County attorney from 1949 till 1951. In 1951 he became a member of the Texas House of Representatives, serving until 1961. During his tenure he was Speaker of the House from 1957 to 1961.
Attorney General Carr was the Texan attorney general when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, having had breakfast with him the morning of his killing. Carr was scheduled to give a speech in Dumas that day but owing to the assassination he had to cancel it and flew to Austin in case his assistance was needed. He traveled to Washington to attend Kennedy's funeral and while there communicated his willingness to convene a court of inquiry about the "Oswald case". President Lyndon B. Johnson's aide Cliff Carter told the president that such an inquiry "could be used to clear up any question about the Oswald case in Dallas. He [Carr] said the FBI could conduct this hearing through him in any manner they cared to to complete the record on Oswald". Johnson thought this was a good idea, but suggested that Carr should announce the inquiry without any mention of White House requests. Johnson spoke to the director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, who agreed to the proposal. Ultimately, the inquiry never occurred, as Johnson decided to convene a presidential commission - later known as the Warren Commission - to produce a report on the assassination. On 8 June 1964, Carr testified before the Commission.
In 1966, he unsuccessfully challenged the incumbent Republican John Tower for a seat in the US Senate.
Carr died in February 2004 from cancer.
References
External links Carr Papers, 1945-85 and undated, in Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University Testimony before the Warren Commission in 1964.