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WARNING: This site deals only with the corporate corruption of science, and makes no inference about the motives or activities of individuals involved.
    There are many reasons why individuals become embroiled in corporate corruption activities - from political zealotry to over-enthusiastic activism; from gullibility to greed.
    Please read the OVERVIEW carefully, and make up your own mind.



TOBACCO INDUSTRY EXPLANATORY
• ABBREVIATIONS
• JARGON
• SPIN-MEISTERS
• INITIALS
• FIRST & NICKNAMES
RELEVANT LINKS
• McGinnis Lockridge & Kilgore
• Shannon Ratliff
• Texas Civil Justice League
• Jack K Dillard



RESEARCH HELP:   If you wish to help research or write for this project, we are always looking for volunteers.
E-mail the editor (below).

J Gaylord Armstrong    

A Texas "Democratic" lobbyist who worked as a "Legislative Counsel" for the Tobacco Institute for many years. He was an Austin lawyer who worked with lobbyist Shannon Ratliffe on many projects for the Tobacco Institute. Both were lawyer-lobbyists with the law firm McGinnis, Lockridge & Kilgore of Austin.

• Wife Kathy.
    • He is classified by the TI as "Legislative Counsel"

1983 Jan 26: Democrat Mark White had just beaten Republican Governor Bill Clements. During the election run-up, the Texas business money had all gone to Clements, but in the few weeks left after November to the December 11 cut-off date, the business lobby in Texas had lined up to: "retire most of a $3 million debt in a matter of weeks."

    Mark White, as state attorney-general from 1978, had sat "on his hands while (lobbyist) Fondren and his friends (incl. Durward Curlee and Gaylord Armstrong) hammered the Legislature into weakening the state's Consumer Protection Act in 1979."

[Our] Business lobbyists [who are] in good shape because they stuck with White against considerable odds, include:
    • Gaylord Armstrong whose law partner Shannon Ratliff was White's treasurer;
    • attorney Mark Hanna, whose wife Debbie, traveled with White's wife, Linda Gale; and especially
    • Pike Powers, although he'll be quitting his law firm for the time being to be White's interim executive assistant.
Both Shannon Ratliff and Gaylord Armstrong provide services to the Tobacco Institute.

    This document carries the handnote from Roger Monzingo to TI President Sam Chilcote "Sam, I thought you would like to read the attached [newscutting] about Garlord since he will be on the program."

1986 Oct 7: Jones Day Reavis & Pogue, the massive Washington-based legal lobby firm is heading a massive consortium of law firms put together by the tobacco industry to attack the product liability laws in Texas.

    The group carries the name Texas Ad Hoc Group . Ron Kessler (of Jones Day Reavis & Pogue in Austin) and Jon Newton (of Clark Thomas Winters & Newton in Austin) appear to be the team leaders, with a number of Texas law firms also involved.

1987 Nov 3: He is speaking at a Tobacco Institute's Government Relations Seminar (in California). His subject is "Tobaco and Tax Issues" (for internal use.)

1993 Oct 4: Jack Dillard (Philip Morris's staff regional lobbyist and head of the Texans Civil Justice League) is now reporting back to Josh Slavitt at Philip Morris on Texas legal matters and the Tax Code on cigarettes.

    Dan Morales (AG of Texas) has just issued a formal legal opinion opposing an amendment to the 1991 tax code. Dillard points out that:

The amendment to the tax code was drafted by Gaylord Armstrong, TI lobbyist, in cooperation with the State Treasury Department.

    Although it was drafted with preemption in mind, the amendment was non-controversial in the legislature because potential opponents failed to recognise its broader implications."

    ['Preemption', in tobacco industry jargon, is the technique of having legislation passed which is less draconian than that being proposed by the anti-smoking forces. The tobacco industry took the initiative to have carefully-crafted legislation passed before their opponents could act. ]

1996: Gaylord Armstrong is listed as a "friend of tobacco", by Texas government (action by Judge Folsom) in the Texas State action against the combined tobacco industry.

WORTH READING










CONTRIBUTORS:in22 JJHS dlo2


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