Idealistic? Yes. Reform-Minded? Absolutely. Bipartisan? That Too. During the 1971 session, the state representatives who came to be known as the Dirty Thirty were everything you’ve learned not to expect in politics. The group—which eventually numbered 35 members—put aside party loyalty (Democrats (D) are marked in blue, Republicans (R) in red) to force out Speaker Gus Mutscher, who ruled the chamber like a dictator and would soon become entangled in the infamous Sharpstown stock-fraud scandal. Even more unlikely, perhaps, is that they were successful. Though the Dirty Thirty was a clear minority in the 150-member House, it continued to apply pressure. The next year, Mutscher resigned, marking at least one instance in which the little guys actually won.

Fred Agnich (R) retired, Dallas
Joe Allen (D) energy lobbyist, Houston
Dave Allred (D) deceased
Maurice Angly, Jr. (R) political pollster, Hellenthal and Associates, Anchorage, Alaska
Bill Bass (D) judge, Twelfth Court of Appeals, Tyler
Tom Bass (D) professor emeritus, University of St. Thomas, Houston
John R. Bigham (D) lawyer, Belton
William J. Blythe, Jr. (R) executive director, Texas Association of Public Employee Retirement Systems, Houston
Sid Bowers (R) unknown
Rex Braun (D) deceased
Neil Caldwell (D) lawyer, Angleton
Tom Craddick (R) state representative, Midland
Price Daniel, Jr. (D) deceased
Lane Denton (D) unknown
Jim Earthman (R) owner, Galveston Capital Corporation, commercial real estate, Galveston
Frances Farenthold (D) lawyer, Houston
Bob Gammage (D) lawyer, Llano
Ben Z. Grant (D) judge, Sixth Court of Appeals, Texarkana
Curtis Graves (D) special assistant for outreach, Office of Education, NASA, Langley, Virginia
John Hannah (D) chief judge, eastern district of Texas, Tyler
Ed Harris (D) deceased
Fred Head (D) lawyer, Athens
Zan Holmes, Jr. (D) senior pastor, St. Luke’s Community United Methodist Church, Dallas
Edmund "Sonny" Jones (R) deceased
Dan Kubiak (D) deceased
Will Lee (R) owner, Council Oaks, medical services provider, Austin and Santa Fe, New Mexico
Walter Mengden (R) retired, Horseshoe Bay
Tom Moore, Jr. (D) lawyer, Waco
Paul C. Moreno (D) state representative, El Paso
Nick Nichols (D) lawyer, Houston
Charles Patterson (D) unknown
Dick Reed (D) retired, Dallas
Lindsey Rodriguez (D) Unkown
Carlos Truan (D) state senator, Corpus Christi
Bob Vale (D) deceased