Dan Moody’s passion for justice led him to be the first to successfully prosecute a case against the notorious Ku Klux Klan when he was District Attorney for Travis and Williamson counties. He is credited with having “broken the back” of the Klan in Texas by sending four Klansmen to prison in 1924.
According to author Ken Anderson in his book Dan Moody, Crusader for Justice “Moody took Texas from being the number-one Klan state at the beginning of 1924 to the most anti-Klan state in the country by the end of 1924.” After the famous trial, the young prosecutor went on to become Texas Attorney General and then the Governor of Texas within a few short years.
The Moody Museum Home & Garden, located at 114 West Ninth Street in Taylor Texas was once the childhood home of the governor and his family. Today, the Texas historic home honors Moody’s various achievements. The restored house, built in 1887 by Moody’s mother “Nannie” and her brother W. F. Robertson, is a beautiful example of late 19th century Victorian architecture and remained in the family until the mid-1970s. The first floor, complete with original furnishings, portrays Moody family life while the second floor is dedicated to the life of the governor and other Taylor history.