Wade Spilman: Peerless Advocate, Irreplaceable Friend

Wade Spilman was always proud to say that, even though he wasn’t an insurance agent, he spent so much of his life working with, and on behalf of, agents that he often found himself thinking like an agent.

IIAT will honor this unique individual’s commitment to the association, its members and the Texas insurance industry by naming the annual convention’s officer installation luncheon at the 2001 meeting in San Antonio June 14-15 the first annual “Wade Sp”lman Political Action Luncheon.” The luncheon will feature a videotape of interviews, prepared for a “roast” of Spilman held several years before his death last September, with humorous comments by a list of friends that tell a lot about who Wade was—Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry, a lifelong friend; Texas Congressman Joe Kilgore, a boyhood friend who became a law partner; and Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock and Railroad Commissioner Byron Tunnell, legislative friends who became close personal friends.

If they had still been alive, former Governors John Connally and Allan Shivers also would have gladly appeared on the video to needle their old friend whom they admired for his legal and people skills, respected for his straight-arrow integrity and enjoyed as an always-upbeat friend who was available to fill out a golf foursome, wrestle with a troubling problem as if it were his own or give solace in a time of sorrow.

Wade was hired by the association in December of 1963 as its first lobbyist. He served IIAT longer than any other person, including the first executive director, Drex Foreman, who held that job 32 years.

The reason Wade thought like an agent is that he lived a good part of his life talking to agents or the IIAT staff and thinking about our concerns. He attended every meeting of the board of directors, attended every convention except one, spoke for IIAT before dozens of hearings by the State Board of Insurance, gave free legal advice to countless IIAT members, advised the staff on everything from anti-trust law to employment practices liability, and shepherded IIAT through hundreds of interactions with the legislature, courts, insurance companies, industry organizations and a fair-sized category of “miscellaneous.”

His hiring was happenstance. He had just completed four terms as McAllen’s member in the Texas House of Representatives and had moved his law practice to Austin. He was looking for clients, and IIAT was looking for a lobbyist. IIAT didn’t have a lot of money to spend, and he was happy to take a modest fee to start his new practice in Austin.

IIAT got a bargain and a legend.

A bargain, because Wade was not a by-the-book biller. He became managing partner of the firm, McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, and as such had control over all billings. As IIAT’s involvement in political and governmental issues grew and took more and more of Wade’s time in the 1980s, he was forced to start keeping time records on his, and other firm lawyers’, involvement in IIAT activities. When the billable hours produced an amount much in excess of the monthly retainer fee IIAT was paying, Wade simply threw away the records and never passed along to IIAT the added charges. As managing partner, he could—and did—call on some of the best minds in the firm to work on IIAT issues; if we had paid for these lawyers’ time, our legal bills would have easily doubled.

A legend, because Wade was one of the rare lobbyists in Austin whose respect for the people, and the process, involved in lobbying prevented him from exploiting weakness in the people or the process. Politics thrives on testosterone, which often leads to bullying, trickery and piling-on. Despite the fact Wade was smarter and quicker than most of the people he dealt with in the legislature, he never allowed that advantage to lure him into running over people or deceiving them with chicanery—his natural inclination was to work as hard as it took to win them over to his side.

When IIAT staff or volunteers would want to retaliate against a legislative or regulatory opponent who dealt us a blow, Wade would always smile, cock his head and say softly: “You never fight the last battle of the last war. There is always another battle, and we may need that fellow on our side—and I’m going to move Heaven and Earth to convince him to go with us when that time comes.

The success of Wade’s humble approach was evident in the fact that although he spent almost 50 years in and around the legislature, he enjoyed respect equally among liberals, conservatives, Republicans and Democrats.

IIAT was lucky to have him as their advocate, and I was lucky to have him as my co-pilot. We are both much the better for it.

Ernest Stromberger; CAE, AAI, is Executive Director of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas. He can be reached at estro@iiat.org

Topics Texas Legislation Agencies