New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 1, Part 52

Author: Davis, Ellis A.
Publication date: 1926
Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?]
Number of Pages: 1416

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A native Texan, Mr. Desel was born at Galveston, May 14th, 1869. His father, C. M. Desel, a native of South Carolina, came to Texas in 1859, where he was continuously engaged in farming and extensive planting in Brazoria and Galveston counties for the remainder of his life. His mother (now deceased) was Miss Mary O'Hear, also a native of South Caro- lina, where she was a member of a prominent fam- ily. His education was obtained in the public schools of Galveston, Texas. Mr. Desel began his business career for the George Seeligson Grocery Company of Galveston as a very young man, and remained with this well known firm for a period of six years and during this time worked in all the departments, and when he resigned in order to enter business for himself, he was at the head of the credit department. He then became an interested partner in W. J. Hughes & Company and remained in this business and firm from 1895 to 1901; the dis- astrous storm which swept the Island City in 1900 took with it Mr. Desel's all, and he came to Houston and in 1901 opened the business which has become a credit to Houston and the Southwest.

Mr. Desel was married at Saratoga, New York, on October 7th, 1903, to Miss Frances Cluett, a daughter of Fred H. Cluett, a member of a promi- nent family of Troy, New York. They have one child, Frances Cluett Desel, now a student at the Rice Institute of Houston. Mr. and Mrs. Desel re- side at 3518 Main Street. Mr. Desel is a member of the Houston Country Club, is a director and treas- urer of the Houston Y. M. C. A., a director of the Merchants' Exchange and a vestryman of the Epis- copal Church. Mr. Desel has always been active in the business, social and general community life of Houston, and gives liberally of his time and means to all projects tending to the welfare and advance- ment of this city. He has at all times had great

faith in the future of Houston and has grown more optimistic each year and believes that with thirty feet of water in the channel, the bonds for which have been issued, will give to Houston a great har- bor. Mr. Desel is an untiring worker for the prog- ress and advancement of Houston, where he is known as one of the city's most public-spirited citizens, at the head of one of Houston's leading business houses.

AMES W. ROCKWELL has for the past de- cade been a factor in the lumber industry at Houston, and is firmly established as a lumberman who makes his influence felt in the commercial life here. Mr. Rockwell is as- sistant general manager of the lumber business of Rockwell Bros. & Co., one of the large lumber firms of the Lone Star State, maintaining general offices at Houston, in the Foster Building. A whole- sale and jobbing house of the firm is located at Amarillo, under the name of Amarillo Sash and Door Company, and operated under the same man- agement. Rockwell Bros. and Co. operate thirty retail yards in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, each yard carrying a complete line of lumber and builders' material.

Mr. Rockwell came to Houston as a boy, in 1898, later going in the lumber business with his father, and first located at Waxahachie, where he spent one year. From there he went to Amarillo, Texas, as manager of the Amarillo Sash and Door Com- pany, spending one year there. He then returned to Houston and was in the office here for a year, at which time he again went to Waxahachie as manager of the yard there. At the expiration of this time the war intervened and Mr. Rockwell was in service until 1919, when he again returned to Houston and has since been in the general office here. He is also a dircetor of the National Bank of Commerce.

Mr. Rockwell enlisted in August, 1917, at the entrance of the United States in the World War. He was sent to Kelly Field, remaining there six weeks at which time he was commissioned second lieutenant, Air Service, and sent to Garden City, where he was in training three weeks, and after being commissioned first lieutenant was sent over- seas, in December, 1917. While in France, where he spent twenty-two months, he was commissioned captain, returning to the states in July, 1919, and receiving his discharge in August of the same year, at Camp Travis. Captain Rockwell has three serv- ice chevrons. While in France he was at St. Jean de Monts, "Vendee" the last man to leave this field, a very prominent one during the war, and where were stationed one thousand men and one hundred and fifty planes. Captain Rockwell was in charge here for a part of the time he was overseas. He is now in the Reserve Officers Corps.

Mr. Rockwell was born at Cisco, Texas, in 1890, son of James Morton Rockwell, well known Texas lumberman, and Sarah Wade Richardson Rockwell. He was educated in the public schools at Houston, graduating from the high school, and attended the University of Texas three years.

Mr. Rockwell is an Elk, a Kappa Sigma, a mem- ber of the Houston Country Club, the Lumbermen's Club, the University Club, of which he has been a director, the Rotary Club, and was president of the ex-students of the University of Texas Alumni Association.

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MEN OF TEXAS

F. CARTER, for upwards of twenty-five years one of the vital forces of progress at Houston and head of one of the strong- est banking institutions in this city, has during an active business career covering some forty years, starting as a young man without capital and pioneering in the lumber industry, risen to be one of the leading capitalists of Southeast Texas. While Mr. Carter's activities have included diverse busi- nesses, perhaps one of the finest things he has done was the organization of the Lumbermen's National Bank in May, 1907 (the name later changed to the Second National Bank) of which institution he has been president since its organization in 1907. With his genius for financial affairs and his keen in- sight into commercial activities, Mr. Carter has developed this institution along conservative lines until it ranks as one of the leading banks in this section of the state. Capitalized in 1907 at $400,- 000.00 and $100,000.00 surplus, this has since been raised to $1,000,000.00 capital, surplus $500,000.00 and undivided profits $300,000.00. The steady, as- sured prosperity of the institution is also reflected in the deposits, which in 1912 were $3,500,000.00 and in 1925 $13,500,000.00, with total resources of more than $15,000,000.00. The officers of the Second Na- tional Bank are S. F. Carter, president; Guy M. Bry- an, active vice president; C. S. E. Holland, active vice president; Hudson P. Ellis, active vice president; H. M. Garwood, vice president; William D. Cleve- land, Jr., vice president; J. A. Fite, assistant vice president; L. R. Bryan, Jr., assistant vice president; H. J. Bernard, cashier; F. D. Ferrell, assistant cash- ier; H. M. Seydler, assistant cashier; Harvey A. Carey, auditor. The directorate is composed of a group of prominent business men of the city and is as follows: A. C. Abell, president Houston Co-op- erative Manufacturing Company; Jesse Andrews, Baker, Botts, Parker and Garwood, attorneys; Guy M. Bryan, active vice president; S. F. Carter, pres- ident; S. F. Carter, Jr., Fain Carter Home Building Company; W. L. Clayton, Anderson, Clayton and Company, cotton; William D. Cleveland, Jr., Wil- liam D. Cleveland & Sons, wholesale grocers and cotton factors; Lynch Davidson, president Lynch Davidson and Company; T. K. Dixon, Kessler and Dixon, grocers; Hudson P. Ellis, active vice president and trust officer; O. F. Ewing, investments; J. A. Fite, assistant vice president; H. M. Garwood, Baker, Botts, Parker and Garwood, attorneys; Maurice L. Goldman, M. L. Goldman Company; C. S. E. Holland, active vice president; S. B. Houx, pres- ident American Construction Company; E. A. Hud- son, president E. A. Hudson Furniture Company; John A. Hulen, president Trinity and Brazos Val- ley Railroad Company; B. F. Louis, lawyer; Cyrus W. Scott, president Cyrus W. Scott Manufacturing Company; Thomas C. Spencer, president Spencer- Sauer Lumber Company; A. S. Vandervoort, man- ager Houston Building Company; H. K. Waddell, vice president Waddell's Housefurnishing Company; G. S. Waid, vice president Southern Pacific Lines; J. M. West, president West Lumber Company; E. R. Wicks, vice president and general manager Vaughn Lumber Company.

Mr. Carter was born in Alabama, the fourteenth of September, 1857, son of J. Q. A. and Mildred Richards Carter. His parents came to Texas when he was a year old, locating at Sherman where his

father was a merchant and one of the prominent business men of his time. Mr. Carter attended the Sherman public schools until he was fourteen years of age, at which time he left school and went to work. His first employment was setting type with the Sherman Courier and after five years on this paper he went to Galveston with the Galveston News where he spent four years. He then went to Beaumont as bookkeeper for a lumber company, and in this city laid the foundation for his fortune. Without capital or outside assistance, Mr. Carter secured his first interest in a lumber company and when he left Beaumont in 1892 to come to Houston he sold his interests in that city for twenty-five thousand dollars.

With this for his capital, Mr. Carter came to Hous- ton and began on a somewhat larger scale his lumber operations, organizing the Emporia Lumber Company, which he sold fourteen years later for a million dollars. In 1906 Mr. Carter disposed of the last of his interests in the lumber industry, a year later organizing the Lumbermans National Bank. In 1910 he built the sixteen story Carter Building, at that time the finest building in the South, and still one of the finest buildings of Hous- ton and more modern than most. This building was constructed at a cost of a million dollars and was planned so that six additional floors could be added. Contract for the extra floors has been let and the building will have twenty-two floors by 1926. In 1923 Mr. Carter sold the building to the Second Na- tional Bank, of which he is president, and the name was changed to the Second National Bank Building. A photograph of the building enlarged to twenty- two stories appears on another page.

Mr. Carter has devoted his time not alone to his private interests, which are numerous, and among which are the American Maid Flour Mills, of which he is a substantial stockholder, the First Texas Joint Land Bank, of which he is a director, and others, but has at all times taken a keen interest in the progress of his community. He has stood ready at all times to give both of his services and his means for the development of his city, and many move- ments owe their successful outcome to the ready assistance of this splendid citizen.

Mr. Carter was married at Galveston the twenty- third of January, 1882, to Miss Carrie E. Banks, daughter of a pioneer Galveston family. They have a family of four children, namely, Mrs. Clara C. Roos, Mrs. Guy M. Bryan, S. F. Carter, Jr., and Mrs. E. L. Crain, and have ten grandchildren. Mr. Car- ter is a member of the Methodist Church and helped to build the new Methodist church here. He also takes an active interest in the work of the Young Men's Christian Association and the Young Women's Christian Association. He is a member of the Hous- ton Country Club and the Old River Club and frat- ernally is a Woodman of the World.

F. EWING has been a factor in the business and financial circles of Texas for many years prior to becoming Vice-President and Manager of the First Texas Joint Stock Land Bank of Houston in 1922. Mr. Ewing came to Texas and to Houston in August, 1911, and for more than a decade was active in the real estate and land business of the State. In 1924 he returned to his regular pursuits and is engaged in real estate and investments. He is still a director and a member of

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NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

the Executive Committee of this bank.

Mr. Ewing was born in Beaver County, Pennsyl- vania, April 19, 1868. His father, James M. Ewing, also a native of Pennsylvania, was during all his life engaged in farming in Beaver County, Penn- sylvania. . His mother was Miss Nancy Robertson, born and reared in Pennsylvania, where she was a member of a well known family. His education was obtained in the public schools of Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and later attended college in the same county.

As a young man Mr. Ewing went to Iowa and for twelve years was engaged as a traveling salesman, covering Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska, during this period he made his headquarters in Sioux City, Iowa. At the end of this period, he entered the real estate business on a wholesale scale, which consisted of buying real estate and land in large blocks, when he saw a bargain offered. In this venture, he was joined by friends, and together they held this land in fee until the price advanced, when they would sell. They bought large tracts of land in Texas, as well as in other States and their business pros- pered. On one of his trips to Texas and to Houston, he saw the wonderful possibilities of the South Texas Metropolis and accordingly in 1911, he moved here and opened his real estate offices in the Scan- lan Building, and continued in the wholesale real estate business until going with the First Texas Joint Stock Land Bank. Mr. Ewing is interested in many of Houston's enterprises, and is a Director of the Second National Bank, which is one of the strongest financial institutions of the city. Mr. Ew- ing was married in Houston, Ocotber 4, 1911, to Miss Willie Webb, a native Houstonian and a daugh- ter of W. R. Webb, who has been a resident of Hous- ton for more than thirty years. Mr. and Mrs. Ewing reside at 219 Hathaway Street. Mr. Ewing is a member of the Houston Club, and since 1912 he has served as an Elder in the Presbyterian Church. In Sioux City, Iowa, he served in a like capacity.

He never loses an opportunity to speak a good word for Houston and believes that the time is near at hand when it will be the Metropolis of the South- west.

most

P. LADIN, during his decade of residence in Houston, has attained a commendable reputation for his activities in mercantile circles, and his operation of one of the successful and largest women's exclusive ready-to-wear stores in the entire South. The Ladin Company, Inc., was established by Mr. Ladin in 1914, at Houston, and has met with a prosperity that reflects most creditably on the business policy of the management, and the character of the es- tablishment. Mr. Ladin is president and general manager of the firm. Coming to Houston in 1913, where he began shortly after his arrival the opera- tion of this shop, catering exclusively to women. At this time he had a small establishment with only 18x68 feet of floor space, but by offering only the highest class merchandise of feminine apparel and appealing to the better class trade, but not over- looking the masses, he has met with rapid success. He now occupies a modern, three-floor business es- tablishment, well located in the heart of the city, and employing seventy-five salespeople, and execu- tives. The store is equipped with the finest mahog- any fixtures manufactured in Houston. Both store and fixtures having been built especially for Mr.

Ladin.

Mr. Ladin was born in Odessa, Russia, coming to the States in 1909, in which year he landed at Galveston. The following year he worked with Sanger Brothers in that city, giving up this posi- tion to go in business for himself in a small way. After a short time he saw greater business oppor- tunities at Houston and came to this city in 1913.

Mr. Ladin was married at Pittsburg, Pennsyl- vania, to Miss Eva Levenson, a native of that city. Their home at 2111 Baldwin Street, is one of Hous- ton's many fine residences. They have four chil- dren: Frank, William, Max and Sydney. Mr. Ladin is a Mason, Temple Lodge No. 4, 32nd degree Scot- tish Rite, and a member of Arabia Temple Shrine, and other social roganization.

0. HARRIS, well known in the lumber circles of Houston, where he is proprietor of the Harris Lumber Company, has a wide experience in this line of work. Coming to Houston in 1915 he shortly after established the Re- public Box Company, Inc., of Texas, and of which he was vice president and general manager until taking up his present work. The Harris Lumber Company are dealers in lumber, shingles, sash, build- ing material, etc. They are located at 1915 Canal, and do a large volume of business each month.

Mr. Harris was born at Penfield, New York, in 1884, son of Robert and Harriett Ellen Harris. His father was an extensive land owner in that State. He was educated in the Minnesota public schools, grad- uated from high school, and then attending the Minnesota Academy for one year, going from there to the Minnesota State University for one year, fin- ishing in 1905. He went with the Sanitary Can Company at Fairport, New York, remaining there three years, then came to New Orleans in 1910, where he engaged in business for five years. In 1915 he came to Houston and organized the Republic Box Company, Inc.

Mr. Harris was married at Houston in 1915 to Miss Alleen Paul, daughter of a real estate and property owner of this city. Mr. and Mrs. Harris make their home in Houston at 2201 Fannin Street. They have two children, R. O., Jr., and Alleen Card- lyn. Mr. Harris is a member of the Park Place Country Club. Fraternally he is a Mason, Scottish Rite and a member of the Arabia Temple Shrine. He is also an Elk, with membership in the Memphis Lodge.

HE HOUSTON PRESS, a Scripps-Howard newspaper with an A. B. C. average of 27,759 daily circulation, consisting of four main editions, is issued every week day by the Houston Press Company. The Houston Press has full leased wire service of the United Press and Complete Newspaper Enterprise Association and Scripps Newspaper Alliance services. The Houston Press, located at 403-5 Capitol Avenue, was estab- lished in Houston in 1911. They have commodious offices and press rooms occupying over 17,600 square feet of floor space, and employ sixty people. Mr. Charles J. Lilley, well known newspaper man, is editor of the Houston Press; John H. Payne, busi- ness manager, and Ward C. Mayborn, general busi- ness manager, with headquarters in Fort Worth. G. B. Parker, editor-in-chief, has headquarters in Washington, D. C.

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MEN OF TEXAS

ILLIAM R. SCOTT, President of the South- ern Pacific Lines of Texas and Louisiana, and one of the best known railroad execu- tives of the country, has made his home at Houston for the past several years. Mr. Scott became President of the Southern Pacific Lines at the time the railroads were returned to their respective managements from federal control, dur- ing which period he was Federal Manager of the Southern Pacific Lines west of El Paso and south of Ashland, and of the Western Pacific. The South- ern Pacific Lines represent the longest mainland railroad in the country, running from New Orleans, where the line connects with the Morgan Steamship Line, owned and operated by the Southern Pacific Company, to Portland, Oregon, a distance of thirty- three hundred miles. The employees of the com- pany in Texas and Louisiana total around twenty- five to thirty thousand operatives, and as President of this line Mr. Scott has under his control approxi- mately five thousand miles of railroad.

Mr. Scott has been identified with the railroad world for more than forty years, having entered railroad service in 1881. His first railroad work was firing a locomotive on the Santa Fe, and after several years of this occupation he was, in 1884, promoted to the position of engineer, which he held until 1891, when he was made traveling engineer on the same system. In August, 1898, he was ap- pointed trainsmaster on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Lines of that system, and about two years later was appointed division superintendent on the same line with headquarters at Cleburne, Texas. March the first, 1901, marked the date of his ap- pointment as general superintendent of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway, which position he held until August, 1903, when he became associated with the Southern Pacific in California on the Sac- ramento division. He was successively superinten- dent on the Salt Lake division with headquarters at Ogden, Utah, and on the Western division, with headquarters at Oakland Pier. In September, 1907, he was made general superintendent of the North- ern district of the same system and during the same year was promoted to the office of assistant general manager, becoming general manager and vice presi- dent in February, 1914. On the assumption of fed- eral control Mr. Scott was placed in charge of the Southern Pacific Lines west of El Paso and south of Ashland, and the Western Pacific Lines between San Francisco and Salt Lake City as federal man- ager, holding this office until the first of March, 1920, when the roads were returned to their re- spective managements, when he became President of the Southern Pacific Lines in Texas and Louis- iana.

Mr. Scott was born at Richmond, in the province of Quebec, Canada, the eighteenth of November, 1860, son of Edward Scott and Helen (Stewart) Scott, both of whom were natives of Scotland. In 1870 the family removed to Kansas, and Mr. Scott spent his boyhood in Topeka, attending the schools there, and entering railroad work after fin- ishing his education.

Mr. Scott was married at Newton, Kansas, the second of June, 1886, to Miss Kathryn Shields, a native of Scotland, and the daughter of A. Shields, who came to the United States, living at Newton, Kansas, for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Scott have

two children-George A. Scott, who resides at Ber- keley, California, where he engages in the contract- ing commissary business, and Mrs. J. H. Beamer of Oakland, California. Mr. Scott is a Mason, Knight Templar, and member of Arabia Temple Shrine, and belongs to the Houston Country Club, the Houston Club, Bohemian Club, San Francisco; Claremont Country Club, Oakland, California; the Railway Executives' Association, and is a director of the American Railway Association and of the South Texas Commercial National Bank and Presi- dent of the Rio Bravo Oil Company. He resides at the Rice Hotel.

SCAR M. LONGNECKER, pioneer Houston- ian and veteran railroad man of Texas, has been a prominent figure in the railroad world for many years, and is now treasurer of the Southern Pacific Lines of Texas. Mr. Long- necker came to Houston in 1883, and in October, 1898, went with the Southern Pacific Lines, as clerk. In June, 1902, he was made cashier, and during the period of federal control of railroads was made corporate treasurer, Southern Pacific Lines of Texas and Louisiana. When the period of federal con- trol ended and the roads were returned to private ownership Mr. Longnecker was made assistant treasurer of the Southern Pacific Lines of Texas, and a short while later, the first of October, 1920, was made treasurer, which office he now holds. Offices are maintained in the Southern Pacific Building at Houston. Familiar with the operation of this line from the early days, Mr. Longnecker is especially qualified for his present position of re- sponsibility, and has acquitted himself with credit in this position.

Oscar M. Longnecker was born at Dallas, Texas, the ninth of July, 1874, the son of Simon K. Long- necker, and Sallie (Cox) Longnecker. Simon K. Longnecker, a native of Ohio, came to Texas in the early fifties. He died in 1920 at the age of eighty-seven years. Mrs. Longnecker, a native of Mississippi, died in 1901. Oscar M. Longnecker at- tended the public schools of Houston, to which place the family removed in 1883, and after finishing high school entered Conyington Business College of Houston. He began his career in a newspaper of- fice, and was for some time with the Houston Post, where he worked with William P. Hobby. In 1898 he went with the Southern Pacific Lines, and has been continuously in railroad work since that time. Mr. Longnecker is a director of the Public National Bank of Houston, and one of its organizers, and is a director of the Rio Bravo Oil Company.

Mr. Longnecker was married at Houston, July 4th, 1901, to Miss Anette Eloise Davis, a native of Texas. They reside at 1718 La Branch Avenue, and have two children, Oscar M., Jr., attending the University of Texas, and Nelson Davis Longnecker. Mr. Longnecker is a member of the City and Country Club and the Houston Wholesale Credit Men's As- sociation. He is one of the most prominent Masons in Texas, belonging to Holland Lodge, No. 1, Wash- ington Chapter No. 2, Houston Council No. 1, Ruthven Commandery No. 2, Knight Templar, Scottish Rite, and charter member of Arabia Tem- ple Shrine. He is past grand high priest of Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Texas, past high priest, past master, past commander, and has held almost every office in the different branches of Masonry.

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NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

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New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 1, Part 52

Author: Davis, Ellis A. Publication date: 1926 Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?] Number of Pages: 1416

Author: Davis, Ellis A.
Publication date: 1926
Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?]
Number of Pages: 1416