J. J. Pickle

Who was J. J. Pickle?

James Jarrell Pickle, also known as "J.J. 'Jake' Pickle", was a United States Representative from the 10th congressional district of Texas from 1963 to 1995.

Pickle was born in Roscoe, Texas. He acquired his nickname Jake from a mischievous character he portrayed in a family play when he was four years old. Pickle was an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

Pickle attended the public schools in Big Spring and received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin where he was a member of the 1934 Southwest Conference championship swimming team and the student body president as a senior in 1937. He was also a member of the Friar Society. Pickle was introduced by future governor John Connally to Congressman Lyndon Johnson, who served as his political mentor. He assisted the latter in his 1940 election campaign and assisted Lady Bird Johnson in running the Congressional office. When the United States entered WWII, Pickle joined the Navy as a gunnery officer and was stationed on the USS St. Louis and the USS Miami, surviving three torpedo attacks. When the war ended, he, Johnson, and Connally helped found a radio station in Austin, Texas. After 10 years in the advertising business, he joined the Democratic Election Executive Committee of Texas in 1957.