A naval air station for Corpus Christi had been proposed since the mid-1930s , and the city 's congressman , Richard M. Kleberg , supported it . But it remained a low priority construction project for the U.S. Navy as late as January 9 , 1940 . ( The Kleberg family and Roy Miller both supported Vice President John Nance Garner 's quest for the 1940 presidential nomination . ) Rep. Lyndon B. Johnson made himself a key Texas ally of President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's bid for a third term , and the White House told the Navy Department to consult Johnson , and heed his advice , on Navy contracts in Texas . By February 1940 , the project was on the Navy 's preferred list . Brown & Root , a Houston firm , shared the construction contract with another New Deal supporter , Henry Kaiser ; the president personally signed the ( first ) cost plus fixed fee contract June 13 , 1940 . The Roosevelt campaign in Texas no longer had a shortage of cash
1940 presidential nomination
1940 Democratic National Convention
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi