b'J immy Farenthold never fullytween friends and extended family, but ended up withSissy Farenthold was an outspoken and effective femi-recovered from the childhoodhis mother, staying in her River Oaks home where shenist, who led by example, graduating among four wom-death of his twin brother, ac- would find him passed out in her kitchen after days- en in a law school class of 220, and serving as the only cording to his mother, Sissy,long binges on crack cocaine. Jimmy asked Sissy to paywoman in the 1969 Texas House of Representatives.ina1992interview.Whilefor his treatment at a posh, West Palm Beach, addic- Rep. Farenthold was accused of sexual harassment shesucceededinprotectingtion center, which she agreed to do. In May 1989, at ageby a former communications staffer, Lauren Greene, in Jimmyfromthecombinedthirty-three, he took a flight to Florida, and has never2014, who was paid a settlement of $84,000 out of a lit-danger of his inherited bleed- been seen or heard from since. Twenty-nine years later,tle-known, taxpayer-funded congressional account. In ing disorder, and his daredev- Jimmy Farenthold is still listed as a missing person. the #MeToo wave that swept through the entertain-il tendencies, there was littleRandy Farentholds son, Blake, graduated from St.ment industry and Washington politics in 2017, Faren-influence she could impose onMarys Law School in San Antonio, and practiced law atthold was offered no support from his party to continue him as an adult. With his hap- the Kleberg Law Firm in Corpus Christi, before oper- serving, ending his congressional career this year. py,outgoingexteriorcameating a website development business. In 2010 he de- In July, 2012, federal marshals, supported by the amagnetismthatattractedfeated six-term Democratic incumbent, Rep. Solomon P.Corpus Christi Police Departments SWAT team, served pressandpoliticalsupport- Ortiz, for the District 27 seat in the U.S. House of Rep- a warrant on the home of Sue Farenthold, Blakes sister ers to his mothers campaignsresentatives, by 799 votes, in the Tea Party wave thatand Randys daughter, in the posh South Shore Estates as a kid, and a healthy following of party friends andturned control of the House over to the Republicans.neighborhood. A stand off ensued after four individu-hangers-on once he was on his own. Fueled by plentySissy is not known to have publicly commented onals barricaded themselves inside, and eventually Far-of cash, cars and houses in Austin, Houston and CorpusBlakes political career, saying only that he is a gentle- enthold, along with three men, one of them a known Christi at his disposal, it wasnt long before Jimmy Far- man and has always been known to be respectful togang member wanted for murder, gave themselves up. enthold was a party scene unto himself. family and his community. But in every way possible,Guns,ammunition,heroinandmethamphetamines While the first signs of serious trouble for Jimmy Rep. Blake Farenthold is the political antithesis of hiswere found inside the home. started at age sixteen, when he was kicked out of St.famous step-grandmother. While the current Farenthold generations have es-Stephens school in Austin for being a troublemaker, byAsalegislator,shesupportedimmigrantfarmcaped the tragic loss of life that haunted those before his mid-20s, he had been in multiple bar fights, oneworkers right to unionize, while Blake was anti-unionthem, their public image and circle of influence appear landing him in a dumpster, and was drinking heavilyand, some would say, anti-immigrant. Sissy ran for gov- as though they will fade away in a most dubious last and doing copious amounts of cocaine, and then heroin,ernor on a platform of political reform and against cor- act. Disease, addiction and, sometimes, poor judgment, especially during his time in Corpus Christi. Eventually,porate control of government regulation, while Blake isafflicted four generations of Farentholds, from time to Jimmy was bouncing around, home to home and be- anti-regulation and voted for large corporate tax cuts.time, not unlike any family any of us may know. TCB48 THE C AL BEND MAGAGAZINEZINEMarFEATch/URED: The StApril 2018ories that Mattered TheC om78 THE COOASASTTAL BEND MA TheCooasastalBend.ctalBend.com'