John Bowden Connally Jr. was an influential American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Texas and as the 61st United States Secretary of the Treasury. He began his career as a Democrat but later switched to the Republican Party in 1973. Connally was famously riding in the presidential limousine with President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, and was seriously wounded during the assassination. His long and dynamic political career left a significant mark on both Texan and national politics.