Giles, James Bascom
James Bascom Giles (September 21, 1900 - July 7, 1993) was an American politician who served as Texas Land Commissioner from 1939 until 1955. Born near Manor, Texas, Giles joined the General Land Office as a draftsman in September 1919. He rose through the agency, eventually becoming associated with the State Tax Board as chief abstractor in November 1936. He resigned that position to fun for Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office on April 8, 1938, won, and was reelected eight times. The Veterans' Land Board Scandal, in which Giles was implicated and convicted, broke weeks after Giles's reelection in 1954. Uncovered by Roland Towery, the managing editor if the Cuero Record, the scandal involved land speculators paying veterans to sign applications for land grants for which the businessmen would pocket the money. Giles eventually resigned from office, was convicted of accessory to theft, plead guilty to the rest of the charges filed against him, and served three years in the Texas State Penitentiary. Towery won the 1955 Pulitzer Prize for his reporting.
Veterans Land Board Scandal.
This is a 1954 Texas General Land Office and Eltea Armstrong map of Texas. The map features a portrait of Bascom Giles at the height of his power as head of the Texas Land Office, and just months before his fall in the Veterans Land Board Scandal. Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Abilene, Houston, and San Antonio, are emphasized by 'street grids' relating their relative size. Green areas highlight national forests and Big Bend National Park. Mountains in West Texas are illustrated pictorially. State parks and forests are indicated by green pine trees. (more details)