James F. Chambers, Jr. Oral History

Object number1994.007.0012

Date06/10/1994

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject James F. Chambers Jr.

Oral history interviewer Wes Wise

Oral history interviewer Bob Porter

ObjectOral history

Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumHi-8 videotape

Dimensions68 Minutes

Terms

Collections

Oral History Collection

DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with James F. Chambers, Jr. Publisher of the Dallas Times Herald for many years, Mr. Chambers had several personal contacts with President Kennedy, including a visit to the White House in 1961 for a presidential luncheon with national newspaper publishers. Mr. Chambers helped keep his newspaper organized and working during the chaotic events of the assassination weekend. Interview conducted at Mr. Chambers' office on June 10, 1994 by Wes Wise with Bob Porter. The interview is one hour and eight minutes long.

Curatorial Commentary

Mr. Chambers passed away on September 21, 2006. His October 1961 visit to the White House to participate in a presidential luncheon with national newspaper publishers proved to be an important moment in shaping the national perception of Dallas before and immediately after the Kennedy assassination.

During the luncheon, E.M. "Ted" Dealey, conservative publisher of The Dallas Morning News and a vocal critic of the Kennedy administration, openly insulted the president, insisting that the United States needed "a man on horseback" rather than someone "riding Caroline's tricycle," referring to the president's young daughter. Times Herald publisher Jim Chambers immediately apologized to the president, and the event garnered brief national news attention and an editorial battle between the two Dallas papers during the following weeks. The event, though largely insignificant, did help to expose the political divisions of Dallas in the early 1960s and was one of several isolated incidents mentioned by the national news media following the Kennedy assassination. - Stephen Fagin, Curator