Lions International began with a small group of men, led by a Chicago insurance man named Melvin Jones, who wanted to do more than they did in the business clubs of that day. They wanted to “serve” their community. “We Serve” is the motto of this organization, and today it has become the world’s largest service organization with about 1.4 million members.

The first Lions Convention was held in Dallas, Texas in October of 1917 with 29 clubs and less than 50 men in attendance. There were 12 Texas Clubs in attendance. They were Abilene, Austin, Beaumont, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Paris, Port Arthur, San Antonio, Temple, Waco, and Wichita Falls. These clubs are now known as Founder Clubs.

The first officers chosen for the Lions were:

Dr. D.P. Woods, Indiana - President

D.H. Lewis, Dallas, TX - Vice President

Melvin Jones, Chicago, IL - Secretary/Treasurer

C.H. Kirk, Houston, TX - Director

Texas is District 2 of Lions International. From its beginning of 12 clubs, by 1930 it had grown to 242 Clubs and 8414 members. That year the State was divided into 5 Districts: T, E, X, A, S. Due to the tremendous growth over the years, the State was divided several times. In 1959-60 District 2-S2 was divided into 2-S2 and 2-S4, thus forming our district as we know it today. David A. Evans of Houston was the first District 2-S4 Governor, who later became the International President in the 1968-1969 Lions Year.

Today there are 16 Districts in Texas, each led by a District Governor. These 16 Governors form the Council of Governors. They transact the business of the State including State Leadership Training, State & International Convention Activities, and supervise the Texas Lions Camp.