New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 1, Part 57

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

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General Hulen was born at Centralia, Missouri, September 9, 1871. His father, Harvey Hulen, now retired from active business pursuits, was a school teacher in the early days, and is now residing at Chickasha, Oklahoma, and is seventy-eight years of age. His mother was Miss Fannie Morter, a mem- ber of a prominent Virginia family. His parents came to Texas in 1873 and first located at Mckinney, Collin County, where they remained for two years and moved to Gainesville in 1874. General Hulen's early education was obtained in the public and high schools of Gainesville, where he graduated from the latter in 1888. He then attended Staunton Military Academy, at Staunton, Virginia, and later was a student of Mormaduke Military Academy in Mis- souri. In 1891, General Hulen began his business career in the real estate business in Gainesville, also represented two capitalists in lending money and also had an insurance business in connection. With the exception of the time he spent in war service, up to 1903, he was in business in Gainesville. Gen- eral Hulen came into military service in 1891 as First Lieutenant of a local military company at Gainesville, and in 1893 he was Captain of Troop B, Texas Cavalry, and in 1896 was made a Major in Texas Cavalry and in 1898 was made a Lieutenant Colonel, and served as such in the Spanish-American War, in command of troops at the border. From 1899 to 1901 he was Captain of the 33rd United States Volunteer Infantry in the Philippine Islands. From 1903 to 1907 General Hulen was Adjutant Gen- eral of Texas, and from 1907 to 1916 he was on the inactive list. In 1916 he was appointed Brigadier General, and served for one year in command of Texas troops on the border, and in 1917 was ap- pointed Brigadier General of the United States Army, and went to France with the 36th Division, and was discharged in 1919. In 1920 General Hulen was appointed Major General of Texas National Guard, and assigned to command the 36th Division, he having organized the Texas quota of the 36th Division in 1917, which consisted of nine thousand men during peace time. Staff Headquarters of the 36th Division is maintained in the Mason Building, Houston, in charge of a staff officer, who gives his entire time to the military matters of this Di- vision. In 1907 General Hulen came to Houston as Passenger Agent for the Frisco Railroad, and con- tinued in this position for one year, when he was made Commercial Agent of the Rock Island and Frisco Railroad, which position he held until 1910, when he came with the present company. He was General Freight and Passenger Agent of the Trinity

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NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

and Brazos Valley Railroad Co. from 1910 to 1919, when he was made Receiver and President at the same time. Since coming to Houston, Gen. Hulen has been closely identified with the commercial interests of the city, and is a Director in the Second National Bank, is a Director and Vice-President of the Hous- ton Belt and Terminal Company; is President of the Galveston Terminal Company and is Traffic Mana- ger of the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad, and is today the Commander and Major General of the famous 36th Division, of whom all Texas is proud.

General Hulen was married in Gainesville Feb- ruary 14, 1893, to Miss Frankie Race, a native of Missouri, and a daughter of James A. Race (de- ceased), who was a prominent Texas educator and for many years Superintendent of the Gainesville Public Schools. General Hulen is a member of the A. F. and A. M., and is a 32nd Degree Scottish Rite of that order, and is a Shriner of Hella Temple, Dal- las. He is also a member of the University Club, Houston Country Club, Houston Club, and the Fort Worth Club. He is State Commander Military Order of Foreign Wars; is a member of the American Legion and various railroad organizations. General Hulen is popular with all classes in Houston. His friends throughout the state, and in the military circles are legion, and he is beloved by every mem- ber of the gallant 36th Divsion. He is a firm be- liever in the future of Houston, which in his opinion, will within ten or fifteen years have a population of not less than one half million, and is destined to soon become the largest shipping center on the Gulf of Mexico.

OBERT R. DENNIS, although one of the younger members of the business fraternity of Houston, is at the head of one of the leading insurance concerns of the city and has been successful in building up a large and profitable business. Mr. Dennis heads the R. R. Dennis and Company, general insurance, with of- fice at 401 Great Southern Life Building, and are local agents for the London Guaranty Accident In- surance Company, State of Pennsylvania and the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company.

A native Houstonian, Mr. Dennis was born Feb- ruary 5th, 1898. His father, E. L. Dennis, was one of Houston's pioneer business men, where for many years he had been prominently identified with the real estate and loan business of this city. His mother was Miss Susan R. Kelly, a member of a well known family of Virginia. His early education was obtained in the Houston public schools, and he later attended Eastman College of Poughkeepsie, New York, where he took a commercial course and has the distinction of having finished a double course at this institution in the shortest time in the his- tory of that college. After leaving college, he re- turned to Houston and became associated with his father in handling the insurance on all the buildings and homes, built, bought or sold for his father's company, which amounted to a great volume of business.

At this time, 1912, Mr. Dennis left Houston to represent extensive mining interests in New Mexico, Arizona, West Texas and old Mexico. He remained in this line of business for six years, returning to Houston in 1918 when he became a participant in the World War by enlisting in April of that year in

the Kansas, Missouri and Arizona Division, which was the 89th Division and the 353rd Regiment. He went overseas and was in St. Mihiel and the Argonne offensives and was later made sergeant in the In- telligence personnel.

Mr. Dennis was married in Houston June, 1920, to Miss Nezzell Christie, a daughter of George R. Christie of Houston, who is one of the most prom- inent insurance men of the South. They have one daughter, Mary Elizabeth, born in May, 1921. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis reside at 816 Holman Street. Mr. Dennis is a member of the A. F. and A. M. of the Royal Arch degree and a member of Chapter 19 of this order. He is also a member of the River Oaks Country Club and the Lumbermen's Club. He is a consistent member of the Christian Science Church. Although Mr. Dennis is quite a young man, he is active among the business men of Houston. Mr. Dennis is popular in both the business and social circles. He is a man of very pleasing personality, gracious, yet dignified withal, and is regarded as one of the leaders among the younger business element of the South Texas metropolis.

A. BROWN, president and manager of the Houston Paper Stock Company, Inc., has been a resident of Houston for three score years, and is a pioneer in the paper stock business in Texas, this plant being the first of its kind to be established in the state. Mr. Brown be- gan in the paper stock business in 1912, and since that time has done a rapidly increasing business. He buys and ships paper mill supplies and wiping rags, and is also the manufacturer of the Silver Brand of wiping cloths, a product in which he has a large trade. In addition he buys waste paper and rags, which are graded and sold to paper mills through- out the country. Mr. Brown began in a small way, with one press, and shipping one car a week, and at that time did not grade his stock. But the busi- ness, meeting as it did an established trade need, grew rapidly, and the plant now has four baling presses and ships three cars of waste paper and rags per day. The plant is located at 1601-1603 Silver Street, where a building of some thirty-thou- sand feet of floor space is occupied, and employs about fifty-five people. The officers of the company, in addition to Mr. Brown, the president, are A. B. Letellier, vice president; D. T. Cushing, treasurer, and M. L. Wuescher, secretary. Mr. Brown is also secretary and treasurer of the Silver Realty Com- pany, owners of the real estate upon which the Paper Stock Company plant is located.

S. A. Brown was born at Kennebunkport, Maine, on the twentieth of August, 1860, son of Warren Brown and Phoebe (Hawkins) Brown, the former a native of Maine, the latter of Rhode Island. Mr. Brown attended the schools of Maine and came to Houston in 1880. He was a traveling salesman oper- ating in Texas for many years, leaving that work in 1912 to establish his present business.

Mr. Brown was married at Victoria, Texas, in 1892, to Miss Bettie Thompson, a native of Victoria, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Brown reside at 4503 Roseland Street, and have one child, Gladys, now Mrs. Carroll A. Lewis of Houston. Mr. Brown is a Knight of Pythias, a U. C. T., a member of the Rotary Club the Chamber of Commerce, the Traffic Club of Houston, and the Glenbrook Country Club.

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MEN OF TEXAS

W ILLIAM ASHTON VINSON, one of Texas' best known attorneys, has for a quarter of a century been a recognized leader in the legal circles of the state. Mr. Vinson was admitted to the bar in 1898 and has been engaged in a general practice of law since that time; the past fourteen years of this time in Houston. He is the senior member of the well known law firm of Vinson, Elkins, Sweeton and Weems, one of the strongest law firms in South Texas. This firm are general attorneys for the Humphreys Oil Company and allied interests, the Beaumont and Great North- ern Railroad, Rock Creek Lumber Company, Thomp- son Brothers Lumber Company, Thompson and Ford Lumber Company, Thompson and Tucker Lumber Company, Gulf Bitulithic Company and the Grogan Manufacturing Company. They are attorneys for the Vacuum Oil Company, Prairie Oil and Gas Com- pany, Prairie Pipe Line Company and the Pure Oil Company. The firm are general counsel for the Great Southern Life Insurance Company.

A native of South Carolina, Mr. Vinson was born at White Oak in 1874. His father, John Vinson (de- ceased since 1919) came to Sherman, Texas, from South Carolina in 1887 and was for many years en- gaged in business there. His mother (deceased since 1895) was Miss Mary Elizabeth Brice, a member of a prominent South Carolina family. Mr. Vinson's brother, Dr. Robert E. Vinson, was for many years president of the University of Texas, having resigned this position in the early part of the year 1923 to accept the presidency of the Western Reserve Uni- versity at Cumberland, Ohio. Mr. Vinson's education was obtained in public and private schools, and later was a student of Austin College, graduating from that institution in the class of 1896 with the A. B. degree. His knowledge of law was obtained by study in the law office of Judge W. W. Wilkins of Sherman.

In 1909 Mr. Vinson came to Houston and was asso- ciated with the well known law firm of Lane, Wol- ters and Storey, and remained with this firm until January 1st, 1915, when he associated himself with E. W. Townes under the name of Townes and Vin- son. This partnership continued until the death of Mr. Townes in 1917, and in September of that year, Mr. Vinson was joined by J. A. Elkins, and the firm name since January, 1925, has been Vinson, Elkins, Sweeton and Weems. Since coming to Houston, Mr. Vinson has been closely connected with the com- mercial interests of the city. He is interested in many industries and corporations. Among them are the following, in which he is a director: Thompson Brothers Lumber Company, Thompson and Tucker Lumber Company, Thompson and Ford Lumber Com- pany, the Houston County Timber Company, and the Trinity River Lumber Company. Mr. Vinson is the owner of some of the best real estate in the city. He and Mr. Elkins are owners of the Garden Court Apartment, one of the finest in the city, and occupies a quarter of a city block, and is splendidly located in the choicest portion of the city for resi- dences or apartments. They built this apartment, which is modern in every detail. Mr. Vinson was married in Sherman in 1900 to Miss Ethel Turner, a daughter of Judge A. C. Turner, a prominent attor- ney of Sherman, who served Grayson County as both county attorney and county judge. They have three children, Virginia, Julia and Martha Brice.

Mr. Vinson is a member of the York Rite body of the A. F. and A. M. and a Shriner of Arabia Temple, the college fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega, American Petroleum Institute, American Bar Association, Texas Bar Association, Houston Bar Association, Houston Country Club, Houston Club, University Club and the Lumberman's Club. Mr. Vinson is in- terested in all matters having as their object the civic improvement and betterment of Houston, and he expects the city to continue its steady, consistent growth and is looking forward to an era of great prosperity in all lines.

A. BALDWIN, senior member of the firm of Baldwin and Cargill Company, wholesale dealers in fruit and produce, is one of Hous- ton's oldest and best known business men. This firm of Baldwin and Cargill was established in Houston in 1895 at the present location and is the oldest active wholesale produce company of Houston, and has established the remarkable record of conducting their business in the same location for a period of twenty-eight years. This firm does a large volume of business in this part of the state, employing twenty-five experienced people in their Houston establishment and have eight men on the road. Mr. T. A. Cargill, well known in the business circles of Houston and South Texas, is an active partner in this large wholesale fruit and produce business, which during this long period has been located at 102 Main Street.

Mr. Baldwin was born at Rochester, New York, in 1863. Both his parents were also natives of New York State and are now deceased. Mr. Baldwin's early education was obtained in the public schools of Rochester, New York, where he graduated from high school, after which he attended Genesee Wes- leyan Seminary, a preparatory school of Rochester, and still later was a student of a Rochester Busi- ness College.

As a young man, Mr. Baldwin came to Galveston, Texas, and for eighteen months was engaged in educational work in the Island City, when he went to Dallas and was for one year a phonograph sales- man, and later came to Houston in this line of endeavor, and after a few months, with Mr. Cargill, opened their present business in a small way, but it has grown to be one of the largest establishments of its kind in Texas. Mr. Baldwin is interested in many of Houston's financial and industrial insti- tutions, and is vice-president and director of Port Houston Land and Townsite Company, and is chair- man of the Board of the Drainage Commission of the Chamber of Commerce and many other activities for the growth of Houston. Mr. Baldwin was mar- ried at Galveston, November 18th, 1890, to Miss Lillian Mary Mitchell, a native of Galveston and a sister of J. E. Mitchell, well known resident of Gal- veston. They have one son, Mitchell A. Baldwin, twenty-seven years of age, and one of the leading young business men of the city and is associated with the firm of Baldwin and Cargill Company. Mr. nad Mrs. Baldwin reside at 4120 Bute Street. In social organizations, Mr. Baldwin is a member of the Houston Country Club and the River Oaks Country Club. Mr. Baldwin 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, progress and advancement of this city.

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MA. Vinson

NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

UGUST BOYSEN is the business manager of Boysen's, a high class refreshment and lunch garden which was established in Houston in 1919 and which caters to high class trade only. This is a partnership with Mr. Boy- sen's brother, Randolph Boysen, and his sister, Miss Alice Boysen, and is one of the most complete or- ganizations of its kind in Texas. They have a gar- den space of one hundred and fifty feet by one hun- dred and fifty feet, and their dining room can seat two hundred and fifty people with comfort. Boy- sen's, which is located at 2120 McKinney Avenue, also does a large auto service business by using the Boysen's auto service table, which has been pat- ented and manufactured by Mr. Boysen. They have a large business and their cafe and garden is open from 11 o'clock a. m. to 1 a. m. and employ a large number of expert waiters and cooks in order to give their patrons the best service possible. The hot chicken tamales served here helped to make the place famous and the fried chicken sandwiches and the special ice creams found here also contributed to its success. Boysen's is conducted on a business and systematic basis. Mr. Randolph Boysen has charge of the service and Miss Alice Boysen has charge of the preparation of the food and is in complete charge of the kitchen. Miss Boysen attended the Houston schools after which she was a student of the Mechanics Institute of Rochester, New York. After her graduation from this institution, she took charge of the Y. W. C. A. cafeteria at Baltimore, where she remained for one year when she returned to Houston and joined her brothers in opening and conducting this splendid business. They have won their reputation for fine food and high class service and when the people of Houston want a real meal they go to Boysen's and this reputation has spread abroad and people from other towns go to Boysen's also.

A native Texan, Mr. Boysen was born at Galveston April 5th, 1889. His father, August Boysen, came to Galveston from Germany as a young man and remained in the Island City until the disastrous storm of 1900, when he removed to Houston, where he has since resided and is retired from active busi- ness pursuits and is well known in the city. His mother was Miss Julia Howard, a native of Gal- veston, where she was a member of a pioneer fam- ily. His education was obtained in the public schools of Houston, where he has resided practically all his life. He opened his present business in 1919 and in 1921 patented the Boysen's auto service table, . which for a time was manufactured in Chicago, but is now manufactured in Houston and is sold all over the United States. This patent auto serving table takes the place of a table and six chairs, and has proven very satisfactory to the users and is a time saver for the shops as well as the customers and is a great convenience to both. There has been a great demand for this device and Mr. Boysen has sold them in every portion of the country.

In fraternal and social organizations, Mr. Boysen is a member of the B. P. O. E., the Houston Club and the Kiwanis Club. He has great faith in the future of Houston and believes that this city will soon take its place as the center of the South's activities along all lines.

AJOR FRANK C. CLEMENS, who has spent practically all his life in the city of Houston, has a business career covering three decades, having devoted his energies toward the development of the printing industry and for the past twenty-four years has operated the most modern printing plant here. The Cargill Com- pany, Inc., of which Major Clemens is president and general manager, was established in 1901 and since that time has been recognized as one of the pro- · gressive representatives of the printer's art in the city. The years have been marked by a consistent expansion and the firm has kept pace with the many developments made in this line and much new equipment has been added with constant expansion as the reputation of the work done by the Cargill Company became more widely known. The Cargill Company handles office supplies, files, safes and office furniture, does fine printing and engraving, their special attention being given to this depart- ment. They have the only lithographing plant in Houston, in this department stressing the finest workmanship and turning out the highest class of work. In 1925 they moved into their new and up-to- date plant, corner Brazos Street and Capitol Ave- nue, covering seven lots. One hundred trained peo- ple are employed here. They also have three men on the road and handle a large volume of out-of- town business. The other officers of the firm are Herman C. Malsch, vice president; J. B. Cadwell secretary and treasurer; P. T. Pearce, sales and advertising manager, and John H. Johnson, store manager.

Frank C. Clemens has been associated with the Cargill Company since its organization in 1901, when he entered the firm as general all-around man, secretary and treasurer. He enlisted as a private in the United States Army, 1915, and was commis- sioned lieutenant, captain and later major, serving with the Eighty-seventh and Eleventh Divisions dur- ing the World War in France. In 1919 he was dis- charged, ranking as major in the Seventeenth United States Infantry, and returned to Houston, later purchasing a controlling interest in the Cargill Company.

Major Clemens was born at Houston, in 1878, son of the Rev. J. J. Clemens, a native of England, but for a long time a resident of Houston where he was known and loved by all. His mother, before her marriage Sue S. Scott, was a native of Freder- icksburg, Virginia.

Major Clemens was married at Baltimore, Mary- land, the seventh of November, 1919, to Miss Helen Louise Gawlis, a native of that city. They have since made their home in Houston at 506 West Main and have two children, J. J., named for his grand- father, and Helen Louise.

Mr. Clemens has always taken a keen interest in athletics and The Cargill Company baseball team, of which he is captain and catcher, have won many championships. In matters pertaining to his voca- tion, he has been accorded a position of leadership and at this time is serving as a member of the ex- ecutive board of the Southeastern Master Printers Federation of Nashville, and as a member of the executive committee of the Southwest School of Printing of Dallas. His name is also found on the rolls of the Kiwanis, Elks, Houston, Houston Coun- try and other clubs.

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MEN OF TEXAS

AMUEL BAILEY HOUX is a name that stands for achievement in the business world in general, and in construction cir- cles in particular. President and Treasurer of the American Construction Company, the largest construction company in the Lone Star State, Mr. Houx occupies a place of highest standing in com- mercial and civic Houston, and his name carries a prestige that is an asset to the community with which it is connected. Mr. Houx is the type of builder who, by reason of ideals, early environment, and training, is qualified to stand at the head of an enterprise of such significance in the civic develop- ment of the city.

Mr. Houx came to Houston in 1908, and has since that time taken a prominent part in the develop- ment of this city. The American Construction Com- pany, of which he is President and Treasurer, is the largest of such construction companies in the State, and the keynote of building activity in the Southwest has hinged on the many important build- ings that this company has constructed. They have in Houston such buildings as the Gulf Building, the Majestic Theatre, the Peden Iron and Steel Com- pany's warehouses, the Bankers' Mortgage Building, the Goggan Building, the Chamber of Commerce Building, Union Station, the Scottish Rite Cathedral, the State National Bank Building, the Herman Hos- pital, Wharf and Warehouse No. 4, on the Ship Channel, as monuments to their activity. They also constructed Camp Logan and Ellington Field, an undertaking of almost gigantic scope, and repre- senting five million dollars worth of construction. In Dallas they had charge of the construction of many important buidings, the Southwestern Life Building, the Cotton Exchange Building, the North Dallas High School and others. And in other Texas cities some of the most imposing structures have been built by this company, such as the Johnson County Court House, at Cleburne, the Harris County Court House, at Houston, the Littlefield Building, at Austin, the El Paso High School, at El Paso, a structure representing the outlay of a million and a half dollars, and being the finest high school in the State. In Port Arthur they constructed the Gulf Refining Building, the new high school and two public school buildings, in Fort Worth the West- brook Hotel represents their activities in that city. In San Antonio they built the general shops of the International and Great Northern Railway, and in Galveston the Sealy Hospital and the new Union Station. This company employs over one thousand men in the various branches, and has every facility for forwarding their construction work, using the most modern equipment, and caring for every item of the construction. In addition to Mr. Houx, the officers are O. S. Van De Mark and J. E. McMahon, Vice-Presidents.

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New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 1, Part 57

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