In the early 1970s, Texas experienced one of the most explosive political scandals in its history. House Speaker Gus Mutscher was convicted, and several other top state officials were implicated for their roles in a bribery scheme in which they received profitable stocks from Houston banker Frank Sharp in exchange for passing favorable legislation in Austin.
This saga, which became known as the Sharpstown scandal, toppled the Texas ruling class of conservative Democrats—including the speaker, governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. It also ushered in a brief but forceful era of progressive reform, led by a coalition of Republicans and liberal Dems, centered on cleaning up state government.
The resulting laws formed the bedrock of open government and ethics regulations in modern Texas government—from disclosure of campaign financing and paid lobbying to the state’s open records and open meetings laws—which have helped let some sunlight into the backrooms of power.
