Museum History

Who was John Nance Garner?

The Garner Home in Uvalde, Texas.

The John Nance Garner Museum is dedicated to documenting the remarkable life and career of Texas native son John Nance “Cactus Jack” Garner (1868 -1967).  Garner served two terms as Vice President under President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Garner was the most powerful vice president in U.S. history and the second most powerful politician in the nation during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Uvalde’s most famous resident was the political godfather for several generations of Texas leaders, paving the way for Texans to occupy the highest levels of our nation’s government, including the White House.

The Uvalde home, designed by influential architect Atlee Ayers, is where John and Ettie Garner lived, worked, raised a family, entertained dignitaries, and hosted thousands of citizens from all walks of life.

Museum admission is free and open to the public; however donations to the Friends of John Garner Museum are encouraged.  The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The John Nance Garner Museum is administered by The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, a special collections library, archive, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin.  To learn more about John Nance Garner and The Briscoe Center please visit the Center’s web site: www.cah.utexas.edu