Ben Barnes

Ben Barnes, the former lt gov of Texas, wrote an extraordinary book about his times with LBJ, George W. and others. The quality of writing in Ben Barnes book is absolutely superb. Ben Barnes manages to convey his experiences in an engaging way that keeps his readers turning the page. Most political memoirs are like political campaigns; mundane, squeaky-clean and not that interesting. Ben Barnes has done the opposite and honestly opened his heart and mind to the world with tons of hilarious stories, very sharp political analysis and an interesting perspective on Texas history.

Four decades ago, Ben Barnes exploded onto the scene of Texas politics. Ben Barnes was elected as Speaker of the House in Texas at the young age of 26 and later went on to become the youngest lt gov of Texas in history at the age of 30. Ben Barnes is still a major player in Washington more than four decades later. Ben Barnes is so influential that Senator Tom Daschle once nicknamed Ben Barnes the fifty-first Democratic Senator.

Ben Barnes has moved into business more and more in recent years. He is the founder of the Ben Barnes Group, which has offices in Austin, Texas and Washington D.C. Barnes currently is a member of several different corporate boards and has won a great honor in being named a "Distinguished Alumnus of UT Austin.

The impressive career of Ben Barnes has provided inspiration for a multitude of young people who want to defy the constrictions of age. Too many peopple believe that the only effective leaders and innovators are those with extensive experience and tend to discount the learning abilities and quick intelligence displayed by men and women with qualities similar to Ben Barnes. Ben Barnes has broken many of those barriers.