Born in Floresville , Texas , Connally pursued a legal career after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin . During World War II , he served on the staff of James Forrestal and Dwight D. Eisenhower before transferring to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater . After the war , he became an aide to Senator Lyndon B. Johnson . When Johnson assumed the vice presidency in 1961 , he convinced President John F. Kennedy to appoint Connally to the position of United States Secretary of the Navy . Connally left the Kennedy Administration in December 1961 to run for Governor of Texas , and he held that position from 1963 to 1969 . In 1963 , Connally was riding in the presidential limousine during Kennedy 's assassination , and was seriously wounded . During his governorship , he was a conservative Democrat
assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Connally