‘Peoples Lawyer’ Jim Mattox, Former Texas AG, Dies at 65
Former Texas Attorney General Jim Mattox, who called himself the “people’s lawyer,” died in his sleep Thursday at the age of 65.
The Austin American-Statesman described Mattox as “a drawling, outsized character and crusading Texas attorney general whose nearly 20-year career in elected office ended in a free-swinging run for governor.” He lost to Ann Richards. He served two terms as attorney general and also was an assistant district attorney.
As attorney general, Mattox diversified the office and built it into a modern law firm, the Houston Chronicle reports. “He closed nursing homes, took on oil companies that had shortchanged Texas on its royalties, sued car dealers for odometer rollbacks, fought to increase regulatory agencies’ abilities to deal with polluters, and challenged airlines, Quaker Oats and car manufacturers on the accuracy of their advertising,” the newspaper says.
Texas AFL-CIO president Becky Moeller told the Dallas Morning News that Mattox was a populist who “had a gruff exterior and a golden heart.”
