Robert Gammage
A Texas Democrat who navigated the state's shifting political tides, championing environmental causes from the legislature to Congress.
1938–2012 (age 74)·American politician·Birthday: March 13·The Silent Generation
Biography
Robert Gammage carved a path through Texas politics that was as winding as the Gulf Coast shoreline he often fought to protect. A Houston native and lawyer by trade, he entered the Texas House in the early 1970s, bringing a sharp legal mind and a progressive streak to a conservative landscape. His political career was a series of climbs and comebacks, moving from the House to the State Senate and then to a single term in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served on the influential Judiciary Committee. Defeated in the Reagan wave of 1978, Gammage later staged a return, winning a seat on the Texas Court of Appeals. Throughout, he was a persistent voice for environmental regulation and government ethics, leaving a legacy defined more by principled advocacy than prolonged power.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Robert was born in 1938, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Robert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1938
#1 Movie
You Can't Take It with You
Best Picture
You Can't Take It with You
Robert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1938Born
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1943Started school
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1951Became a teenager
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Could drive
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1956Could vote
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1959Turned 21
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1968Turned 30
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 40
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 50
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 60
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 70
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2012Died at 74
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
Key Achievements
- Served as a Democratic U.S. Representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1977 to 1979.
- Authored significant environmental legislation in the Texas State Senate, including bills to protect coastal zones.
- Was elected to the Texas First Court of Appeals in 1994, serving as a justice until his retirement in 2010.
- Earned a reputation as a reform-minded legislator focused on consumer protection and campaign finance laws.
Did You Know?
He served as a Captain in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps.
Gammage taught political science at several universities, including the University of Houston and Texas A&M.
He was an avid sailor and often incorporated his maritime experience into his environmental policy work.
His 1976 congressional campaign was notable for its strong grassroots organization in a traditionally Republican-leaning district.
“The law must protect the bay's water for everyone, not just the interests on its shores.”
