Robert L. Bobbitt

Robert L. Bobbitt
Texas Attorney General
In office
September 1929 – January 1931
GovernorDan Moody
Preceded byClaude Pollard
Succeeded byJames V. Allred
Member of the Texas House of Representatives
from the 75th district
In office
January 9, 1923 – January 8, 1929
Serving with Herbert Spencer Bonham
Preceded bySamuel Randolph Boyd
Succeeded byEdward Alexander Mullally
Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives
In office
January 11, 1927 – January 8, 1929
Preceded byLee Satterwhite
Succeeded byWingate S. Barron
Personal details
BornRobert Lee Bobbitt
(1888-01-24)January 24, 1888
Hillsboro, Texas, US
DiedSeptember 14, 1972(1972-09-14) (aged 84)
San Antonio, Texas, US
PartyDemocratic
RelationsHugh S. Cluck
OccupationLawyer, politician
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/service
Years of service
–1919
RankCaptain
Unit90th Infantry Division
Battles/warsWorld War I

Robert Lee Bobbitt Sr. (January 24, 1888 – September 14, 1972) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives for three terms, including a term as Speaker of the House, and was later the Texas Attorney General.

Early life, education, and early career

Bobbitt was born on January 24, 1888, on a cotton farm near Hillsboro, Texas, one of seven children born to pioneer Joseph Alderson Bobbitt and Laura Abigail (née Duff) Bobbitt.[1][2] He was named for Robert E. Lee.[3] He worked on the farm as a child,[2] living there until age 22.[4]

After leaving the farm, Bobbitt enrolled in the Carlisle Military Academy. He then studied at the University of North Texas, receiving a teaching certificate (he never worked as an educator).[4] In 1915, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.[1]

While in college, Bobbitt worked in food service, lawncare, and as a clerk at the Texas State Capitol library.[1] After receiving the license to practice law, he established a partnership in Laredo, later working in San Antonio.[4]

During World War I, Bobbitt served in the 90th Infantry Division, enlisting as a private. He was transferred to a Field Artillery Branch facility in South Carolina prior to the 90th Division being sent to France, and thus never saw combat. He rose to the rank of captain[4] and was honorably discharged in 1919.[2] After serving, he joined the law firm Hicks, Phelps, Dickerson, & Bobbitt.[5]

Politics and later career

Bobbitt was a Democrat,[6] serving on the Texas Democratic Centeal Committee from 1920 to 1922.[1] He was a member of the Texas House of Representatives, from January 9, 1923, to January 8, 1929, representing the 75th district.[6] He was unanimously named Speaker of the House, serving from January 11, 1927, to January 8, 1929. He helped block a bill pardoning Governor James E. Ferguson.[1]

While in the House, Bobbitt was chairman of the Judiciary Committee and vice-chairman of the Joint Committee on Sale of State Property, Investigate, as well as a member of the Committees on Appropriations; on Banks and Banking; on Criminal Jurisprudence; on Education; on Game and Fisheries; on Live Stock and Stock Raising; and on Oil, Gas and Mining.[6]

In 1928, Bobbitt became district attorney for Dimmit, Jim Hogg, Webb, and Zapata Counties.[1] He served as Texas Attorney General from September 1929 to January 1931,[4][7] having been appointed by Governor Dan Moody[1] as intermin attorney general following the resignation of Claude Pollard. He lost the following election for the office to James V. Allred.[2]

In 1931 or 1934, Bobbitt returned to practicing law in San Antonio.[8][9] He was a member of the partnership Bobbitt, Brite, Bobbit, & Allen. He was a member of the Texas A&M University–Kingsville board of directors. From 1935 until his resignation in 1937,[8] he was an associate justice of the 4th San Antonio Court of Civil Appeals.[10] From 1937 to 1943, he was chairman of the Texas Highway Commission. He was a Presidential elector in the 1944 election.[1] In 1958, he was a member of the University of North Texas Board of Regents,[1] being appointed by Governor Price Daniel.[11]

Personal life and death

On April 20, 1918, Bobbitt married Mary Belle Westbrook,[1] the sister-in-law of Laredo mayor Hugh S. Cluck;[12] they had a son together. He was Presbyterian,[1] as well as a member of the American Judicature Society, the American Legion, the Boy Scouts of America, the Newcomen Society of the United States.[1][11]

Bobbitt died on September 14, 1972, aged 84,[1] in San Antonio,[13] and was buried on September 16, at Mission Burial Park South, in San Antonio.[12] In 1974, the Texas Historical Commission installed a commemorative plaque in Medina County, in his honor.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Sauer, Tucker. "Robert Lee Bobbitt: Life and Legacy of a Texas Lawyer and Legislator". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Bridges, Ken. "Former state attorney general and state House Speaker Robert L. Bobbitt". Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  3. ↑ "500 Texas Facts Then and Now". The Kilgore Herald. 23 June 1940. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-07-29.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature 1846-2016" (PDF). Texas Legislature. 2016. p. 191. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  5. ↑ "Local News". Laredo Weekly Times. 7 September 1919. p. 6. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  6. 1 2 3 "Member profile for Robert Lee Bobbitt - Texas Legislative Reference Library". lrl.texas.gov. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  7. ↑ "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Boardwalk to Bodziak". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  8. 1 2 3 "Robert Lee Bobbitt Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2026-07-13.
  9. ↑ "Former Attorney General Robert L. Bobbitt Buried". The Houston Chronicle. 17 September 1972. p. 86. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  10. ↑ "E. W. Smith Named As Chief Justice, Succeeds Bickett". San Antonio Express-News. 30 June 1935. p. 37. Retrieved 2026-07-12.
  11. 1 2 "R. L. Bobbitt Service Due". San Antonio Light. 16 September 1972. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  12. 1 2 "Robert Lee Bobbitt, 85, Will Be Buried Saturday". Laredo Morning Times. 15 September 1972. p. 12. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
  13. ↑ "Former Legislator Bobbitt Dies". San Antonio Express-News. 16 September 1972. p. 10. Retrieved 2026-07-04.
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