James Steele Moore

MOORE, JAMES STEELE (1931 ~ 2021). The following is an obituary for former member of the Texas House of Representatives James Moore. The obituary was provided by Weed, Corley, Fish Funeral Home of Austin. 

James Moore grew up in the Arlington area and graduated from Arlington High School in 1948. He attended Arlington State College, now University of Texas at Arlington, and graduated from Texas A&M in 1952. Following service in the United States Army, he returned to Austin to attend the University of Texas Law School graduating in September 1956.

He was elected to the Texas Legislature in 1954 and served in such capacity until his term expired in 1958. Following the completion of the legislative session of 1957, he moved to Lubbock, Texas to join the law firm of Clifford, Blanchard and Summers. He practiced law for approximately ten years.

He married Phyllis Ann (Phillips) Moore on September 23, 1955, and was married to her for 47 years, until her passing in April 2002. James is survived by his sons Dr John Moore, James (Todd) Moore and Melissa Moore Thoveson and six grandchildren, Alec and Ryan Thoveson, Hunter and Blake Moore, and Allison and Andrew Moore.

In 1962, with a group of other businessmen and farmers, he founded the Wolfforth State Bank, now known as The American Bank of Commerce. He served as Chairman of the board of the bank since its organization and has remained active throughout his career. His other banking activities include co-ownership of the First National Bank of Tahoka for a period of ten years from 1964 to 1974.

In Lubbock, his activities included membership in the Downtown Rotary Club, Wolfforth Lions Club, Toastmasters Club, Singing Plainsmen, Caprock ABC Club and the Anthropology Club. He served as a founding member and president of the South Dialysis Center, served as president of the South Plains Kidney Foundation, was president and founding member of the South Plains Foundation and served on the boards of the Well Baby Clinic and the Ranching and Heritage Center.

He was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church where he taught Sunday school, served on the vestry and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. He was past president of the Lubbock Country Club and was a member of the Lubbock Club and Lakeridge Country Club. Moore served as president of the Lubbock Texas A&M Club, was a member of the Board of Directors of the Former Students Association of Texas A&M University for many years and was president of that group.

He served for seven years as trustee of the Texas A&M Foundation having been president. He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Twelfth Man Foundation, was member of the Presidential Search Committee, was member of the Corp of Cadets Development Council, established a Presidential Endowed Scholarship, a permanently endowed Twelfth Man Scholarship and a Corp of Cadet Scholarship. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M in 1997.

In Austin, he was a member of the Austin Country Club, the Austin Golf Club and Barton Creek Country Club and attended St. Francis Anglican Church. He would summer in Colorado Springs where he was also a member of The Broadmoor Country Club.

A private family graveside service will be held at Texas State Cemetery.