East Texas Historical Journal Volume 51 Issue 2 Article 7 3-2013 Congressman Jack Brooks- "Taking Care of Business" Robert J. Robertson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ethj Part of the United States History Commons Tell us how this article helped you. Recommended Citation Robertson, Robert J. (2013) "Congressman Jack Brooks- "Taking Care of Business"," East Texas Historical Journal: Vol. 51 : Iss. 2 , Article 7. Available at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ethj/vol51/iss2/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the History at SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in East Texas Historical Journal by an authorized editor of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. CONGRESSMAN JACK BROOKS - "TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS" Robert J. Robertson On the afternoon of August 21, 1970, Congressman Jack Brooks and his wife Charlotte traveled to -Port Arthur, Texas, to participate in the grand opening ofthe new $8.8 million Gulfgate Bridge over the Sabine Neches ship channel. Completion of the bridge marked the culmination of a large maritime transportation project sponsored by Brooks in 1962, when he won a $20.8 million Federal appropriation for various improvements for the Sabine-Neches Waterway that ran from the Gulf of Mexico up to Beaumont. The waterway improvements and new bridge were critical for the industrial development ofthe Beaumont-Port Arthur region, where Brooks resided and which formed the heart of his congressional d istrict.1 Staged near the west entrance of the towering new bridge, the dedication ceremonies began at 5:30 PM with posting of the colors by the U.