Connally, John Bowden (1917-1993), was United States secretary of the treasury in 1971 and 1972. He was the first Democrat appointed to the Cabinet by President Richard M. Nixon, a Republican. Connally served as governor of Texas from 1963 to 1969. In 1973, he became a Republican. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination.
Connally was born on Feb. 27, 1917, in Floresville, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas School of Law. After serving as a Navy lieutenant commander during World War II, he became the manager of a radio station in Austin, Texas, in 1946. During the 1950’s, Connally was attorney for a Texas oil company.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy named Connally secretary of the Navy. Connally resigned after 11 months to seek the Texas governorship. In 1963, he was seriously wounded while riding in Kennedy’s car in Dallas when the president was assassinated. Connally died on June 15, 1993.
