About

The Briscoe-Garner Museum is one of four divisions of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, an organized research unit of The University of Texas at Austin. The museum is located in the house that served as John Nance Garner's home for more than thirty years.

The museum is dedicated to the remarkable lives of John Nance "Cactus Jack" Garner and Dolph Briscoe, both Uvalde natives and historically important political figures from Texas. The first floor documents the life and career of "Cactus Jack" Garner, the first Texan to serve as speaker of the U. S. House of Representatives and as vice president of the United States. The second floor is dedicated to Dolph Briscoe who served as Texas governor from 1973 to 1979 and led a distinguished career in public service, business, and ranching.

The Briscoe Center is among the leading research agencies in the nation for the study of historical topics that relate to the life and career of both Briscoe and Garner. Its Research and Collections Division located on the Austin campus constitutes the largest archive and library in existence on Texas history, with special strengths on the congressional and political history of Texas. The Briscoe Center archives include the extensive John Nance Garner Scrapbook Collection, the only significant body of Garner papers that exists, and Dolph Briscoe’s personal and gubernatorial papers.