John Hill

John Luke Hill Jr. (October 9, 1923 – July 9, 2007) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court from 1985 to 1988. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 69th secretary of state of Texas from 1966 to 1968 and the 45th attorney general of Texas from 1973 to 1979. Hill is the only person to have held all three offices.

Career

Legal career After attending Kilgore College, Hill received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, where he was a member of the Texas Cowboys. In 1947, he earned an LL.B., graduating with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law. Hill was admitted to the Texas bar the same year and went to work for a small law firm in Houston which gave him experience in trial work. In 1951, he founded his own Houston-based firm specializing in plaintiff's trial work. He was considered one of the top lawyers in Texas.

He also played a leading role in closing down the Chicken Ranch in Fayette County, the inspiration for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Hill had a subordinate leak material to reporter Marvin Zindler who ran a week-long series of special reports on The Chicken Ranch putting pressure on Governor Dolph Briscoe. After Briscoe turned to him for advice, Hill suggested that Briscoe call the sheriff of Fayette County who closed down the Chicken Ranch. Hill served as Attorney General until 1979.

Hill challenged Briscoe in 1978 in the Democratic primary and was successful but lost in the general election to Republican Bill Clements. Hill was the first Texas Democrat since 1869 to lose a gubernatorial general election to a Republican nominee.

Chief Justice of Texas

Hill practiced law until 1984 when he was elected as Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice to succeed the retiring Jack Pope. During this period, there were concerns about ethics of the courts which brought about a legislative committee investigation. The State Commission on Judicial Conduct chastized two justices and CBS's 60 Minutes offered a story on lawyers who practice in the courts making large donations to campaigns. Hill championed reform of the partisan election of judges and argued that judges should be selected based on merit, similar to the system used at the federal level.

Later life

In 1997, Governor George W. Bush called Hill from retirement to ask him to become a member of the Texas Lottery Commission following a scandal. Hill died in 2007 after undergoing heart surgery in St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston.