DAN’S THE MAN

Thirty-three year old Dan Moody became the state’s youngest governor when he won the election of 1926. Wearing a straw boater and making over 200 speeches in his first 30 days of campaigning, Moody easily championed the election, leaving all five of his opponents (including incumbent “Ma” Ferguson) far behind in the polls. The Moody Museum Home & Garden, once childhood home of the governor and his family, honors Moody’s various achievements. The restored house, built in 1887 by Moody’s mother “Nannie” and her brother W. F. Robertson, is a handsome example of late 19th century Victorian architecture and remained in the family until the mid-1970s. Moody is best known for his battle to prosecute the first successful case against the Ku Klux Klan in Texas during his years as District Attorney for Travis and Williamson counties before his run for governor. The museum’s archive explores Moody’s long list of accomplishments including his two-term stint as governor from 1927 to 1931. The first floor, complete with original furnishings, portrays Moody family life while the second floor is dedicated to the life of the governor and other Taylor history.