b. 1888 – Mason County, Texas
Governor: 1941–1947
Coke hauled freight between Junction and Brady as a youth and later worked as a janitor and bookkeeper for his father, who owned a general store in Junction. He studied law, organized the First National Bank in Junction and was involved in a number of small businesses, including a hardware store, an automobile agency, a motion picture house, a drug business, a weekly newspaper, and a hotel. Before his election to the Texas House in 1928, he served as county attorney and county judge. He served as speaker of the house for two terms and was lieutenant governor from 1939 to 1941.
Stevenson became governor when W. Lee O’Daniel resigned to become a U.S. Senator and was re-elected in 1942 and in 1944. His was the longest continuous service as governor. His interests included soil conservation, expansion and permanent financing for the state highway system, increasing teachers’ salaries, and a building program for the University of Texas. After the governorship, he ran for U.S. Senator but lost to Lyndon Johnson by 84 votes.