This is from a zeroxed copy of a newspaper clipping someone sent me, probably in the 1970's. It is from the Beaumont Enterprise, Beaumont ( Jefferson Co. Tx.) and the only date is Feb. 21. Haskell Texas, Feb. 21 (ap) When they talk about the Kennedy political family around here, the Ratliff family is liable to pop up for comparison.... The line began, as far as Texas is concerned, with L. D. Ratliff, Tennessee born lawyer. L. D. Ratliff, Wise and Haskell county counselor-at-law. fathered 11 children, four of them lawyers and a fifth, a state senator. "There was a major difference between Joe Kennedy ( president Kennedy's father) and my Daddy", L. D. Ratliff's eldest son, Dennis, Haskell attorney and former state legislator, and district judge here says, " My Daddy died a poor man after raising 11 children". L.D. had two brothers, Ed and W.H. The former was a member of the Oklahoma Legislature and later counsel on the corporate commission of Oklahoma City. The later was a member of the Texas Legislature from Hardeman County before moving to Dallas, where he was tax commissioner for Texas Power and Light Co., for many years until his death in 1949. The Ratliffs roots are buried in the subsoil of Hickman Co. Tenn. L.D. came to Decatur, Wise County, about the turn of the century, got his family on its voting way, and then moved to Haskell in 1921, spending his last 21 years there. L.D. died in 1942 but the Ratliff vein is thick in the motherlode of Northwest and NorthCentral Texas political and civic minefield. Dennis, the eldest, a practicing attorney here, was in the Legislature from 1931 to 1935 and district judge here afterwards. David Ratliff, a Stamford businessman is not an attorney, but elected State senator in a special election to fill the vacancy caused by the death of the colorful Harvey Sadler, David has been re-elected to this office every two years since 1954. L.D. Ratliff Jr., an attorney, is a district judge at Spur. Bill Ratliff is the Haskell county attorney. O.B. Ratliff, lawyer, never held public office, but he just never ran for it. He lives in Lubbock, is a former member of the Board of Trustees at Texas Tech. and now is with the Brazos River Authority. Roy Ratliff, another office holder, now lives in Abilene, and was both county clerk and district clerk here for several years. Rounding out the Ratliff record, there are two more, neither lawyers nor office holders, but you better watch 'em on the latter counts. They could qualify, being Ratliffs. Hugh, a retired Warrant Officer in the Air Force, is manager of the Haskell Clinic. T.J. is a school-teacher for 35 years in DeQuincy, La. Given a little running room, politically speaking, the runnin' Ratliffs could crowd the Kennedys, especially Texas tabulations. Now, just so none of us get the big-head, I think I will post the story of Marshall Ratliff, the Santa Claus Bandit and last white man lynched ( and naked too!) in the state of Texas, that is if you want to read it. It is long. Billie Ratliff Staggs