Obituary:
Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday for former Dallas political and civic powerhouse Stephen J. Hay, who had three great loves besides his family -- politics, the insurance business and fly-fishing.
The 85-year-old retired board chairman and co-founder of Great National Life Insurance Co. of Dallas died Tuesday at his home of a heart ailment.
Hay was a "Texas Democrat,' said a longtime friend, C.A. Tatum Jr., another of Dallas' onetime power brokers. That meant, Tatum said, that he was of the John Connally school -- a conservative and an active one.
He was friendly with former governors Connally, Allan Shivers and Price Daniel, but he also became close to President Lyndon Johnson some 40 years ago through his activities on behalf of the insurance industry -- a time when Johnson began to dominate the state's congressional delegation in Washington,
Locally, he reveled in working for the Citizens Charter Association, the political arm of the once all-powerful Dallas Citizens Council, the business establishment's "establishment.'
In the years after World War II, he served as CCA president and was generally a moving force in the organization -- until the early 1970s following a federal court mandate for single-member district voting in the City Council races. In those days of at-large voting, CCA slates had breezed to victory in election after election.
Although the organization aimed at city elections, the Dallas Citizens Council had broader interests, and it was as overseer of the state legislative slates that Hay played his major role. Before federal courts declared that one-man, one-vote and single-member districts also were relevant to the county and its legislative delegation, the council's legislative slate success rate matched the CCA's local election record.
As a businessman, Hay began his career with United Fidelity Life Insurance Co. and later founded Great National Life Insurance Co. in 1925. He subsequently built it into one of the largest companies in the area before selling it to U.S. Life Insurance Co. in the 1970s.
He was a past president of the American Life Convention, an insurance industry association. He also was longtime chairman of Hesse Envelope Co., a family property of his first wife, Avella Winn, who died in 1958. Hesse was sold about eight years ago to Niagara Envelope Co.
He was a director of the First National Bank in Dallas -- now InterFirst -- and a member of the board of directors of the Dallas Power & Light Co. and later its parent company, Texas Utilities.
His civic activities included membership on the Dallas Public Library Board from 1945 until 1960.
But Hay's thoughts often turned to fly fishing.
"He was a real artist,' Tatum said. "He was a great fly fisherman and made trips to Wyoming and Montana.He was not a golfer, but he did like goose and duck hunting.'
A native of Dallas, he was the son of S.J. Hay, mayor of Dallas from 1907 to 1911. He graduated from Southern Methodist University, serving later on the board of trustees. He was also a member of the Highland Park United Methodist Church.
Hay was a former president of the Dallas Kiwanis Club and worked for the Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts.
He is survived by his wife, Nadine O. Hay; two sons, Stephen J. Hay Jr. of Dallas and Dr. William W. Hay of Estes Park, Colo.; a stepdaughter, Solange Small of Dallas; two sisters, Mrs. J. Roscoe Golden and Mrs. P. Herb Morse of Dallas; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
He will be entombed in Hillcrest Mausoleum following services at Sparkman - Hillcrest on Northwest Highway.
Published in the Dallas Morning News on 2-01-1985.
Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday for former Dallas political and civic powerhouse Stephen J. Hay, who had three great loves besides his family -- politics, the insurance business and fly-fishing.
The 85-year-old retired board chairman and co-founder of Great National Life Insurance Co. of Dallas died Tuesday at his home of a heart ailment.
Hay was a "Texas Democrat,' said a longtime friend, C.A. Tatum Jr., another of Dallas' onetime power brokers. That meant, Tatum said, that he was of the John Connally school -- a conservative and an active one.
He was friendly with former governors Connally, Allan Shivers and Price Daniel, but he also became close to President Lyndon Johnson some 40 years ago through his activities on behalf of the insurance industry -- a time when Johnson began to dominate the state's congressional delegation in Washington,
Locally, he reveled in working for the Citizens Charter Association, the political arm of the once all-powerful Dallas Citizens Council, the business establishment's "establishment.'
In the years after World War II, he served as CCA president and was generally a moving force in the organization -- until the early 1970s following a federal court mandate for single-member district voting in the City Council races. In those days of at-large voting, CCA slates had breezed to victory in election after election.
Although the organization aimed at city elections, the Dallas Citizens Council had broader interests, and it was as overseer of the state legislative slates that Hay played his major role. Before federal courts declared that one-man, one-vote and single-member districts also were relevant to the county and its legislative delegation, the council's legislative slate success rate matched the CCA's local election record.
As a businessman, Hay began his career with United Fidelity Life Insurance Co. and later founded Great National Life Insurance Co. in 1925. He subsequently built it into one of the largest companies in the area before selling it to U.S. Life Insurance Co. in the 1970s.
He was a past president of the American Life Convention, an insurance industry association. He also was longtime chairman of Hesse Envelope Co., a family property of his first wife, Avella Winn, who died in 1958. Hesse was sold about eight years ago to Niagara Envelope Co.
He was a director of the First National Bank in Dallas -- now InterFirst -- and a member of the board of directors of the Dallas Power & Light Co. and later its parent company, Texas Utilities.
His civic activities included membership on the Dallas Public Library Board from 1945 until 1960.
But Hay's thoughts often turned to fly fishing.
"He was a real artist,' Tatum said. "He was a great fly fisherman and made trips to Wyoming and Montana.He was not a golfer, but he did like goose and duck hunting.'
A native of Dallas, he was the son of S.J. Hay, mayor of Dallas from 1907 to 1911. He graduated from Southern Methodist University, serving later on the board of trustees. He was also a member of the Highland Park United Methodist Church.
Hay was a former president of the Dallas Kiwanis Club and worked for the Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts.
He is survived by his wife, Nadine O. Hay; two sons, Stephen J. Hay Jr. of Dallas and Dr. William W. Hay of Estes Park, Colo.; a stepdaughter, Solange Small of Dallas; two sisters, Mrs. J. Roscoe Golden and Mrs. P. Herb Morse of Dallas; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
He will be entombed in Hillcrest Mausoleum following services at Sparkman - Hillcrest on Northwest Highway.
Published in the Dallas Morning News on 2-01-1985.
Obituary:
Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday for former Dallas political and civic powerhouse Stephen J. Hay, who had three great loves besides his family -- politics, the insurance business and fly-fishing.
The 85-year-old retired board chairman and co-founder of Great National Life Insurance Co. of Dallas died Tuesday at his home of a heart ailment.
Hay was a "Texas Democrat,' said a longtime friend, C.A. Tatum Jr., another of Dallas' onetime power brokers. That meant, Tatum said, that he was of the John Connally school -- a conservative and an active one.
He was friendly with former governors Connally, Allan Shivers and Price Daniel, but he also became close to President Lyndon Johnson some 40 years ago through his activities on behalf of the insurance industry -- a time when Johnson began to dominate the state's congressional delegation in Washington,
Locally, he reveled in working for the Citizens Charter Association, the political arm of the once all-powerful Dallas Citizens Council, the business establishment's "establishment.'
In the years after World War II, he served as CCA president and was generally a moving force in the organization -- until the early 1970s following a federal court mandate for single-member district voting in the City Council races. In those days of at-large voting, CCA slates had breezed to victory in election after election.
Although the organization aimed at city elections, the Dallas Citizens Council had broader interests, and it was as overseer of the state legislative slates that Hay played his major role. Before federal courts declared that one-man, one-vote and single-member districts also were relevant to the county and its legislative delegation, the council's legislative slate success rate matched the CCA's local election record.
As a businessman, Hay began his career with United Fidelity Life Insurance Co. and later founded Great National Life Insurance Co. in 1925. He subsequently built it into one of the largest companies in the area before selling it to U.S. Life Insurance Co. in the 1970s.
He was a past president of the American Life Convention, an insurance industry association. He also was longtime chairman of Hesse Envelope Co., a family property of his first wife, Avella Winn, who died in 1958. Hesse was sold about eight years ago to Niagara Envelope Co.
He was a director of the First National Bank in Dallas -- now InterFirst -- and a member of the board of directors of the Dallas Power & Light Co. and later its parent company, Texas Utilities.
His civic activities included membership on the Dallas Public Library Board from 1945 until 1960.
But Hay's thoughts often turned to fly fishing.
"He was a real artist,' Tatum said. "He was a great fly fisherman and made trips to Wyoming and Montana.He was not a golfer, but he did like goose and duck hunting.'
A native of Dallas, he was the son of S.J. Hay, mayor of Dallas from 1907 to 1911. He graduated from Southern Methodist University, serving later on the board of trustees. He was also a member of the Highland Park United Methodist Church.
Hay was a former president of the Dallas Kiwanis Club and worked for the Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts.
He is survived by his wife, Nadine O. Hay; two sons, Stephen J. Hay Jr. of Dallas and Dr. William W. Hay of Estes Park, Colo.; a stepdaughter, Solange Small of Dallas; two sisters, Mrs. J. Roscoe Golden and Mrs. P. Herb Morse of Dallas; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
He will be entombed in Hillcrest Mausoleum following services at Sparkman - Hillcrest on Northwest Highway.
Published in the Dallas Morning News on 2-01-1985.
Services will be at 11:30 a.m. Friday for former Dallas political and civic powerhouse Stephen J. Hay, who had three great loves besides his family -- politics, the insurance business and fly-fishing.
The 85-year-old retired board chairman and co-founder of Great National Life Insurance Co. of Dallas died Tuesday at his home of a heart ailment.
Hay was a "Texas Democrat,' said a longtime friend, C.A. Tatum Jr., another of Dallas' onetime power brokers. That meant, Tatum said, that he was of the John Connally school -- a conservative and an active one.
He was friendly with former governors Connally, Allan Shivers and Price Daniel, but he also became close to President Lyndon Johnson some 40 years ago through his activities on behalf of the insurance industry -- a time when Johnson began to dominate the state's congressional delegation in Washington,
Locally, he reveled in working for the Citizens Charter Association, the political arm of the once all-powerful Dallas Citizens Council, the business establishment's "establishment.'
In the years after World War II, he served as CCA president and was generally a moving force in the organization -- until the early 1970s following a federal court mandate for single-member district voting in the City Council races. In those days of at-large voting, CCA slates had breezed to victory in election after election.
Although the organization aimed at city elections, the Dallas Citizens Council had broader interests, and it was as overseer of the state legislative slates that Hay played his major role. Before federal courts declared that one-man, one-vote and single-member districts also were relevant to the county and its legislative delegation, the council's legislative slate success rate matched the CCA's local election record.
As a businessman, Hay began his career with United Fidelity Life Insurance Co. and later founded Great National Life Insurance Co. in 1925. He subsequently built it into one of the largest companies in the area before selling it to U.S. Life Insurance Co. in the 1970s.
He was a past president of the American Life Convention, an insurance industry association. He also was longtime chairman of Hesse Envelope Co., a family property of his first wife, Avella Winn, who died in 1958. Hesse was sold about eight years ago to Niagara Envelope Co.
He was a director of the First National Bank in Dallas -- now InterFirst -- and a member of the board of directors of the Dallas Power & Light Co. and later its parent company, Texas Utilities.
His civic activities included membership on the Dallas Public Library Board from 1945 until 1960.
But Hay's thoughts often turned to fly fishing.
"He was a real artist,' Tatum said. "He was a great fly fisherman and made trips to Wyoming and Montana.He was not a golfer, but he did like goose and duck hunting.'
A native of Dallas, he was the son of S.J. Hay, mayor of Dallas from 1907 to 1911. He graduated from Southern Methodist University, serving later on the board of trustees. He was also a member of the Highland Park United Methodist Church.
Hay was a former president of the Dallas Kiwanis Club and worked for the Circle Ten Council of the Boy Scouts.
He is survived by his wife, Nadine O. Hay; two sons, Stephen J. Hay Jr. of Dallas and Dr. William W. Hay of Estes Park, Colo.; a stepdaughter, Solange Small of Dallas; two sisters, Mrs. J. Roscoe Golden and Mrs. P. Herb Morse of Dallas; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
He will be entombed in Hillcrest Mausoleum following services at Sparkman - Hillcrest on Northwest Highway.
Published in the Dallas Morning News on 2-01-1985.
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