Legislative Reference Library

Texas Legislators: Past & Present

Charles Herring

Charles F. Herring
Full Name: Charles Ferguson Herring
Birth date: June 1, 1914
Death date: January 15, 2004

Terms of Service

  • Senate, 63rd (1) (3) (6) Legislature
    1/9/1973 - 6/1/1973
    Democrat
  • Senate, 62nd Legislature
    1/12/1971 - 1/9/1973
    Democrat
  • Senate, 61st Legislature
    1/14/1969 - 1/12/1971
    Democrat
  • Senate, 60th (5) Legislature
    1/10/1967 - 1/14/1969
    Democrat
  • Senate, 59th Legislature
    1/12/1965 - 1/10/1967
    Democrat
  • Senate, 58th (4) Legislature
    1/8/1963 - 1/12/1965
    Democrat
  • Senate, 57th (2) Legislature
    1/10/1961 - 1/8/1963
    Democrat
    Senate President Pro Tempore, 3rd C.S., elected 1/3/1962.
  • Senate, 56th Legislature
    1/13/1959 - 1/10/1961
    Democrat
  • Senate, 55th Legislature
    1/8/1957 - 1/13/1959
    Democrat
(1) Lloyd A. Doggett, Jr., in special election 8/14/1973, took office 8/18/1973, succeeded Charles F. Herring, resigned 6/1/1973. First session was 63rd 1st Called Session. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004 2005.
(2) Presiding officers and acting lieutenant governors after Ramsey's resignation were President Pro Tempore ad Interim Bruce A. Reagan; President Pro Tempore Charles F. Herring, succeeded 1/3/1962, and presiding during 3rd Called Session; and President Pro Tempore ad Interim Culp Krueger, succeeded 2/1/1962. Members of the Texas Congress 1836-1845; Members of the Texas Legislature 1846-2004 2005.
(3) 63rd Legislature - Drawing for Terms of Office, 1/10/1973, pp. 12-13. Drew 2-year term. Senate Journal .
(4) 58th Legislature - Drawing for Terms of Office, 1/9/1963, p. 16. Drew 2-year term. Senate Journal .
(5) 60th Legislature - Drawing for Terms of Office, 1/11/1967, p. 19. Drew 2-year term. Senate Journal .
(6) Special election 7/17/1973, runoff 8/14/1973. Texas Secretary of State - Election Dates Including Special Elections, 1966-2001 .

Biographical Notes and Resources

Selected Newspaper articles

Resolutions and Journal entries

Photographs

Other Resources

  • Memorial biographical sketch and photo. A State of Remembrance 2005.
  • United States Navy, Lieutenant Commander, World War II. "He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1943 and became a commissioned officer. During his service in the Pacific he was wounded three times and awarded the Bronze Star and the Navy Cross. After leaving active duty in 1946 with the rank of lieutenant commander, he returned to private law practice." A State of Remembrance 2005.
  • Herring, Charles Ferguson. Texas State Cemetery .
  • United States Navy, World War II. "In 1943 Charles enlisted in the Navy. Being from Stampede Valley and knowing almost nothing about ships or the Navy, when the enlistment officer offered him alternative commissions as either a lieutenant junior grade or an ensign (the lower rank), he mistakenly selected the lower rank as ensign. He served in the Pacific as a group commander of assault landing craft during several invasions, including Okinawa, Iwo Jima, Leyte Gulf, and Lingayen Gulf. In the Lingayen Gulf landing, a Japanese mortar hit squarely in the middle of his craft, destroying the boat and killing all thirty soldiers and crew, except for him. He was knocked into the water, unconscious, but was rescued by another ship.
    During the war, his mother became deathly ill. Lyndon Johnson learned of the illness, and orchestrated the sending of a secret message to him conveying the bad news. Charles asked for leave to return to see his mother, but his request was refused. He then went AWOL, hitch-hiking with sympathetic supply-plane crews across the Pacific. He arrived at the hospital in Waco and saw his mother for 30 minutes. Then she died. After a complicated return trip to the Pacific-including a stay on a nearly deserted island with a band of Australian Navy deserters who kindly fed and took care of him for a week-he returned to his ship and his captain reassigned him to duty, without discipline." Texas State Cemetery .
  • United States Navy. Photo and salute. With Honor and Gratitude: A Special Thank You to Our Texas Senate Members Who Served Our Country 2017.

Committee Information

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