MCGREGOR, MALCOLM (1929~2003) Malcolm McGregor, member of the Texas House of Representatives, was born in El Paso, Texas on January 22, 1929, to Malcolm McGregor Sr. and Margaret Phillips. The McGregor family owned and operated a ranch just north of El Paso until the late forties, at which time it was sold to the United States Army to secure a missile range. Because of the family's help in securing the property of many of the other adjoining ranches, the U.S. Army renamed the entire tract of land "The McGregor Range." It is currently located just north of the Franklin State Park along Transmountain Road.
McGregor attended Texas A & M University from 1946 to 1950, completing his undergraduate degree in Agricultural Engineering. He then served in the army as a paratrooper from 1951- 1953, achieving the rank of Second Lieutenant. During the Korean War, he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
In 1954, McGregor was bitten by the political bug and decided to run for an open seat in the Texas House of Representatives. Simultaneously, he entered law school at the University of Texas at Austin. This was the start of his lifelong love affair with politics. He served in the Texas House for ten years until he decided to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, losing to Richard White in 1964. During his tenure, he co-sponsored legislation that became the pilot program for head start in which Spanish speaking kindergartners were taught English.
In 1957 he married Bobba Hadlock, also of El Paso, and had two children, Malcolm and Robertson. During the sixties, he practiced law, was appointed a referee in bankruptcy and was elected as a national delegate to the infamous 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Shortly after, he bought his first plane, an open cockpit Stearman. Flying became his passion, leading him to fly many cross country trips, the last of which occurred in October of 2002, when he flew to Maine to visit his sister.
In 1971, he opened his own law practice at 1011 North Mesa. Mr. McGregor's life crossed paths with several well known personalities. Authors such as Larry King, Cormac McCarthy and Willie Morris considered him life long friends. Malcolm was featured in Willie Morris' book about Texas politics during the 1950's entitled North Toward Home. In political circles, he made friends with former Speaker of the House, Jim Wright, and former Texas governor, Ann Richards.
Representative McGregor passed away on May 12, 2003, and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery five days later.
Information taken from: obituary, Austin American-Statesman, Thursday, May 15, 2003.
