Biography for Dudley T Dougherty

Born in December 1923, Dudley Tarlton Dougherty was the youngest son of Genevieve and James R. Dougherty of Beeville Texas.  

Son of a first generation "Texas-Irish Mexican Citizen"    

We Roots of our forefathers: Immigration from Ireland to what was then Mexico, San Patricio de Hibernia County Texas, "Round Lake" Colony. 

_{We begin at a school started by his grandfather Robert Dougherty, St. Paul's Seminary. The family originated there. Later when the school closed, the eldest of seven children, his father, James Robert Dougherty, took the train to Beeville for 16 cents and began his practice. A well known citizen, practicing lawyer and a judge for the county, James and his wife Genevieve Tarlton Dougherty had their son Dudley reading before the age of 5. His family remembered the boy as a quiet, thoughtful and very gifted young man. Well informed and introspective, his love of knowledge and humanity became key facets of his future life.}

A devout catholic all his life, Mr. Dougherty lived his faith and expected that faith to be present in every way. His life changing experience began in 1945, when affected by severe nearsightedness, he memorized the eye chart to enlist at age 18, to fight alongside his brother in what he considered an unjust war.

Although by most accounts, he could have avoided going, he enlisted despite the fact he was a Conscientious Objector.

 Mr. Dougherty fought against Hitler and  began his 18th year volunteering as an infantry foot soldier in Normandy during WWII. His elder brother, James Robert Dougherty Jr. was already a Captain in the U.S.Army by that time, however he died shortly afterward while saving three of his men in the heat of battle. Jame's remains are in St. Maargarethen in the Netherlands. He was awarded both the Purple Heart and Distinguished Service Cross.

After returning home from the war, Mr. Dougherty began his career in politics. He ran against Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1954 Senate Race as a Democrat in the Coke Stephenson race but was defeated. After two terms in the State Legislature, Dudley again ran, this time for Congress. His campaign was not successful, however, and later on he decided to abandon running ever again for elected office, and go into journalism and manage his business interests.  

Dudley T. Dougherty wrote a letter to Lyndon B. Johnson "A Plea for Immediate Armistice In South Vietnam"

 
The Press:

His effort to launch La Prensa, a bilingual Spanish/English paper based in San Antonio, lasted around 3 years. A successful Oilman and Cattle Rancher, Mr. Dougherty spent his time looking after his business interests, and wife and children. But he never forgot his political leanings, and played a hand in many other national,state and local  campaigns, including that of his cousin Frances T. Farenthold, who was elected to the legislature and later ran for Governor.

During the last days of Madame Nhu's 1963 visit to the USA, Mr. Dougherty invited her to speak openly to the press on her views on US Foreign Policy, hoping to avoid US intervention and the following involvement in the ensuing Vietnam War.


The Water Problem
         A Solution

 by Dudley T. Dougherty

^{pub.1957 by Dorrance and Company Inc.,
Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 57-14919.}

Written in 1956-1957 as a response to an ongoing drought of momentous proportions,

which was occurring throughout the Southwest during those years, Mr. Dougherty  describes the political, social and economic paradigms of  the water situation facing the nation at the time. 

Click here for a link to the newspaper article "A Workable Water Conservation Program"  San Antonio Light (February 8 1957) 

Mr. Dougherty was well known for his dry humor and good nature. His friends were many, and dispersed throughout all walks of life.

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Texas Historical Subject Marker Application has been submitted in 2016. 

To see the application, click here.

Please click below to read the 

Personal Marker submission for DTD memorial 2016.

Natural Sounds Collection - Wikimedia link

The Dudley T. Dougherty Natural Sounds Collection is housed at the San Domingo Ranch near the small community of Normanna, Texas. The audio recordings in the collection have been accumulated over 30 years and represent many species of animals, including toads and frogs, mammals, insects, and birds. This material documents living animals in their wild habitats, and very little editing has been done. Audio levels have been adjusted to avoid clipping and occasionally loud brief noises have been removed.

Originally, the collection was maintained by the Center for Bioacoustics at Texas A&M University-College Station. Along with its founder and present curator, the collection moved to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, then to Coastal Bend College, and finally became part of the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation in 2013.