In this article I will highlight one of the governors of Texas. Dolph Briscoe was the governor of Texas from 1973 to 1979. Not only was he a governor, but he was also one of the largest landowners in Texas history. This in a state known for huge ranches. His philanthropy has provided support to a wide range of educational, medical, scientific and cultural institutions. In this article I hope to provide a little insight into how much this man influenced the evolution of Texas. Dolph Briscoe Jr. was born in Uvalde, Texas in 1923. He was the son of a self-taught cattle rancher and a direct descendant of Andrew Briscoe. Andrew Briscoe was one of the original signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Briscoe graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1942. He later enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. This is where he served in the China-Burma-India theater. He married his wife, Betty Jane "Janey" Slaughter in 1942 and they had three children. The couple became the largest landowners in the state of Texas. And they did it in the ranch-rich state. They amassed over 640,000 acres in this great state. Dolph Briscoe was elected to the Texas state legislature in 1949. He was also a strong advocate for building state roads from farms to markets. This was an important development for rural Texas. He left the legislature in 1957 where he devoted more time to the family business. Quickly becoming one of the state's leading ranchers and president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Dolph Briscoe was active in the Texas Democratic Party in the 1950s and 1960s. After the infamous Sharpstown scandal, Dolph Briscoe was... at the center of the paper... historian of this great state. Dolph and his legacy will live on in Texas for many years, and some of the policies and procedures he established will carry over from one governor to another. While things have changed a bit here and there, these policies will form the basis for Texas governors and politicians in the future. This was a glimpse of a truly great man in Texas history. It was a surprising and refreshing revelation to discover that at least one part of our American history was a great memory. This stands in contrast to some of the great tragedies in Texas history. Works Cited About Dolph Briscoe. Briscoe Center for American History, n.d. Web. 15 April 2014. .Carleton, Don, comp. Dolph Briscoe My Life in Texas Ranching and Politics. Austin: UTT, 2008. Print.