Born in Texas, January 29, 1926, Tommy Joe Vandergriff,
also known as Tom J. Vandergriff was born in Carrollton,
Dallas County, Texas.
Arlington was a town with a population of less than 8,000
when Vandergriff began his 26 year term as Mayor. During that
period of time, he was involved with such major endeavors as
the elevation of The University of Texas at Arlington to
senior college status, construction of the Dallas-Fort Worth
International Airport and development of the region's giant
tourist industry.
Judge Vandergriff has served on a White House Commission on
Urban Problems. He was the founding President of the North
Central Texas Council of Governments and the first Chairman of
the Texas Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.
At various times in the past, Judge Vandergriff has been named
Citizen of the Year in Arlington, Dallas and Fort Worth.
Tom Vandergriff
served four terms as
Tarrant County Judge. He has previously been Mayor of
Arlington and a United States Congressman (Republican. U.S.
Representative from Texas 26th District, 1983-85.) He retired
in January 2007.
On February 27, 2007 the City of Arlington hosted a reception
recognizing the contributions of Tom Vandergriff. The reception was held in the City Hall Lobby located at the Arlington Municipal
Building, 101 W. Abram St. in downtown Arlington.
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