Rise And Fall Of Duke Of Duval

On Oct. 24, 1952, a leading Lone Star daily posed the election-eve question, “Can Parr tilt the vote for Adlai?”

If the infamous Duke of Duval could select a senator, it stood to reason that he just might be able to pick a president, too.

The Anglo clique that ran Duval County at the turn of the century relied upon violence to preserve their ruthless regime. The key to maintaining their political monopoly was keeping the massive Mexican majority away from the polls.

When three Mexicans tried to exercise their right to vote in 1911 at the county seat of San Diego, they were shot to death. A Spanish-speaking politician named Archie Parr stood up for the powerless pariahs, a gutsy move that earned their undying respect and blind loyalty.

Exploiting the old country culture of the Mexicans, Parr assumed the role of “patron” ostensibly taking care of his illiterate followers in return for their bloc vote. This unbeatable combination made the former cowboy the political boss of South Texas, whose word was law in Duval and several adjacent counties.

Parr moved up to the state senate in 1914 and took along 13-year-old George as his page. Twelve years later, Archie engineered the youth