Howard Gallemore Hartzog, Sr.

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about Howard Gallemore Hartzog, Sr. and friend, this one is worth your time. Now, Calhoun County, Texas. Mid-twentieth century.

The place is on the edge of something big, an unprecedented period of growth, and somebody has to help steer it. That somebody turns out to be a man born on April 11, 1901, in a little Texas town called Tolosa, to J.O. and Sybil Hartzog. They named him Howard Gallemore Hartzog, and if you're thinking that's a name that carries some weight, well, the man grew into every syllable of it.

Howard didn't take the short road to anything. He graduated from San Marcos Academy, attended Southwest Texas Normal School, which you may know today as Texas State University, then went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Baylor University in 1926. Not done yet.

He kept right on going to Washington, D.C., to George Washington University, where he picked up a law degree in 1928. That is a lot of school. But here's the part that stops people cold.

Before he ever set foot in a courtroom, Howard Hartzog played a season of professional football with the New York Giants. Let that settle in. A man who would spend decades building libraries and causeways and hospital wings once lined up for the New York Giants.

And then, when that season was done, he came back. Came back to Port Lavaca to practice law. In 1933, Howard was elected representative for the 69th district, and for fourteen years he was in there working, actively contributing to writing bills that touched education, vehicle safety, and water conservation.

Fourteen years of showing up and doing the work. He left the Texas House of Representatives in 1947. Along the way, in 1935, he married Anna Paul Allen of Marlin.

They had two children together. Anna passed in 1967. After his time in the House, Howard didn't slow down one bit.

He served on the Calhoun County Independent School District board of trustees. He served as interim city attorney. And in 1950, he ran for county judge.

He won. Then he won again. Six consecutive terms.

A total of seventeen years as county judge. Now, seventeen years is a long tenure, and the marker wants you to know what got done during it. The Lavaca Bay Causeway.

The Matagorda Ship Channel. A new library. An airport.

Two major hospital expansions. That is not a small list. That is a county being transformed, and Howard Hartzog's hand was in all of it.

As a private citizen, as a county judge, as a state representative, as a member of numerous community groups, he devoted his life to service, working tirelessly to promote growth, well-being, and industry in Calhoun County. The marker says it plainly and I'll say it plainly too. Howard Gallemore Hartzog, Sr. died on May 18, 1968.

The county he helped shape outlasted him, and it bears his mark. That's the kind of story that doesn't need any embellishment. The facts do the heavy lifting just fine.

What the marker says

In the mid-twentieth century, Calhoun County was beginning an unprecedented period of growth. Howard G. Hartzog, Sr. was an active community leader who guided the county as a private citizen, county judge and as a state representative by diligently promoting growth and community spirit. Howard Gallemore Hartzog was born on April 11, 1901 in Tolosa, Texas to J.O. and Sybil Hartzog. He graduated from San Marcos Academy, attended southwest Texas Normal School (now Texas State University), obtained a bachelor's degree from Baylor University in 1926 and a law degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 1928. After a season of professional football with the New York Giants, he returned to Port Lavaca to practice law. In 1935, he married Anna Paul Allen (d. 1967) of Marlin and they had two children. In 1933, Howard was elected representative for the 69th district and, for fourteen years, he actively contributed to writing bills to benefit education, vehicle safety and water conservation. After he left the Texas House of Representatives in 1947, he served on the Calhoun County Independent School District board of trustees and served as the interim city attorney. In 1950, he ran for county judge and was elected for six consecutive terms, a total of seventeen years. During his tenure, many local programs and projects were completed, including the Lavaca Bay Causeway, Matagorda Ship Channel, a new library, airport and two major hospital expansions. As a community leader and member in numerous groups, Howard Hartzog devoted his life to service and worked tirelessly to promote growth, well-being and industry in Calhoun County. He died on May 18, 1968. (2013)