Davidson, Chandler

The Texas Politics Oral History Program originated from the research and teaching activities of Professor Chandler Davidson of the Sociology Department at Rice University. In conjunction with his research on the liberal political movement in Texas, he conducted a series of oral history interviews with individuals associated with this movement, a project funded through a National Endowment for the Humanities (N.E.H.) fellowship during the 1976-77 academic year. He also assembled a file (“Texas Rich”) of notes and newspaper clippings concerning ninety-nine individuals identified as “the richest Texas inhabitants” during the 1970s and 1980s, which became the basis for his book, Race and Class in Texas Politics, published by the Princeton University Press in 1990. In addition, he maintained office files consisting of oral histories, clippings, and related material also connected with his interest in the liberal movement (now organized as the Chandler Davidson Papers).