New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 1, Part 90

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

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and in 1918, after the death of Mr. Burns, the firm became known by the present name. Mr. Mobley looks after large business transactions and office work and occasionally tries cases. The firm of An- drews, Streetman, Logue and Mobley are attorneys for the Freeport Texas Company, Standard Rice Company, Houston Packing Company, Houston Land and Trust Company, Hughes Tool Company, Lucey Manufacturing Company, Markham Irrigation Company and A. J. Harty, its owner, J. E. Pierce estate, W. W. and Susie E. Kuykendall estate, John H. Shary of Rio Grande and A. B. Pierce of Blessing, Texas, Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, I. and G. N. Railroad Company, Gulf Coast Lines, Union National Bank of Houston, Bankers Mortgage Com- pany, Humble Oil and Refining Company, and many other companies, estates, business firms and indi- viduals of Houston and South Texas.

A native Texan, Mr. Mobley was born in Van Zandt County, January 27th, 1875. His father, Alex Mobley, was a well known farmer of Van Zandt County, and came to Texas from Alabama in 1874. His mother was Miss Hattie Adeline Anderson, a native of Alabama. His early education was ob- tained in the Van Zandt County schools, and later attended the Summer Hill Select Schools at Omen, Smith County, from which he graduated in 1898. He then entered the University of Texas and gradu- ated from this institution in the class of 1901, with the degree of LL.B. During the same year of his graduation from the University of Texas, Mr. Mob- ley established his office at Athens, Texas, and be- gan the practice of his profession. In 1902 he was elected county attorney of Henderson County, and served in this office until 1906. He was elected a member of the state legislature from Henderson County and served in this capacity from 1907 to 1910, and in 1910 and 1911 he was assistant attorney general in charge of criminal appeals and Supreme Court of the United States. Since coming to Hous- ton, Mr. Mobley has been closely connected with the commercial interests of the city, and is a director of the Massey Manufacturing Company, and in R. M. Gordon and Company, and is a director and vice president of the Houston Pump and Supply Com- pany. Mr. Mobley has a large ranch in Matagorda County, which is well stocked with cattle and hogs, and with farm houses for tenants. He takes great pride in his ranch, and spends his spare time there, hunting and fishing, and outings at almost any period of the year.

Mr. Mobley was married at Austin, Texas, De- cember 16th, 1902, to Miss Myrtle Storey, a native of Austin and a daughter of W. R. Storey (de- ceased), who came to Texas from Georgia, and was a well known business man of Austin, and the family is prominent throughout the state. They have three sons-John A. Mobley, Jr., twenty-two years of age; Brooks, twenty years of age, and Marion, eigh- teen years of age. They are all students of the Uni- versity of Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Mobley reside at 535 Lovett Boulevard. Mr. Mobley is a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Red Men, Woodmen of the World, the Harris County Bar Association, Houston Club, Houston Country Club and the Uni- versity Club. He is optimistic as to the future of Houston and believes it will soon become the leading city of the Southwest.

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NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

ORACE M. WILKINS, active vice-president and one of the organizers of the State Na- tional Bank of Houston, has devoted his business life to the various branches of the banking business, and is regarded as one of Hous- ton's leading bankers. The State National Bank of Houston has a capital stock of $500,000.00 and their statement made at the close of their business on June 30th, 1925, showed a surplus of $40,000.00 and undivided profits of $10,000.00 with individual deposits of $4,500,000.00. In 1923 the bank com- pleted their splendid twelve story building at 412 Main Street, making this one of the finest banks of Houston. Other officers of the State National Bank of Houston are J. A. Wilkins, president; March Culmore, Dan Japhet and J. M. Jackson, vice pres- idents, and Allen H. King, cashier. The directors are composed of the leading business men and finan- ciers of Houston and South Texas.

Mr. Wilkins was born in Brenham, January 9th, 1885, the son of William Gaston Wilkins and Eunice Lewis Wilkins. His father, now deceased, was for many years a merchant of Brenham, to which place he came in 1845. He was married there on January 16th, 1866.

William Gaston Wilkins was the son of John B. Wilkins of North Carolina, and Elizabeth Allen Wil- kins of South Carolina, who were married at Ben- ton, Alabama, where John B. Wilkins was a commis- sion merchant and owner of a steamboat landing. William Gaston Wilkins was an officer on General Tom Green's staff, in the famous Green's Brigade of the Army of the Confederacy, and was among the first to go aboard the federal warship Harriet Lane, when she was captured by Confederate soldiers who had gone down by river boats from Harrisburg to Galveston Bay.

Eunice Lewis Wilkins, the mother of Horace M. Wilkins, was the daughter of Colonel Asa Miles Lewis, who came to Texas in 1838, immediately after his marriage to Ann M. Browning in Georgia. The couple settled at Matagorda, Texas, then a flourish- · ing port and cotton market, but soon afterwards moved to Columbus, Texas, where their eldest daugh- ter, Eunice, was born. While living in Columbus, Colonel Lewis was representative from Colorado County at the Congress of the Republic of Texas, when Washington, Texas, was the capitol. Colonel Lewis was one of the leading lawyers of the day and was prominent in building the new country. He was one of the commissioners who laid out the town of Brenham. Horace M. Wilkins' education was ob- tained in the public schools of Brenham and he later attended the A. and M. College of Texas. He left college in 1902 and after remaining at home for a while, came to Houston and entered the employ of the South Texas National Bank as a clerk and re- mained with institution for four and one-half years. He then went with the American National Bank as teller, and remained there for a period of four years, when he became associated with the Lumbermen's National Bank as assistant cashier, and remained with this bank for a period of four years, when with his brother, Mr. J. A. Wilkins, he organized the State Bank and Trust Company, which later nationalized and became the State National Bank, of which he has since been an active vice president.

Mr. Wilkins was married at Hopkinsville, Ken- tucky, May 14th, 1914, to Miss Mary Wallace, a na

tive of Kentucky and a daughter of H. D. Wallace, well known in the business circles of that state. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins reside at 912 Kipling Avenue. Dur- ing his residence in Houston of more than a decade, Mr. Wilkins has become interested in many of the city's financial and industrial activities, and is a director of the State Building and Investment Com- pany, a director and treasurer of the State Building and Loan Association and is a director of the Hous- ton County Timber Company. He is a director in the Houston Chamber of Commerce and takes a keen interest in this organization, and is a member of the River Oaks Country Club, the Masonic bodies, Arabia Temple Shrine and the Episcopal Church. Mr. Wil- kins has great faith in the future of Houston and expects the city to continue its steady, consistent growth along all lines.

RTHUR V. PACE, for a decade a factor in the banking world, has recently come to Houston and become one of a group of financiers that are taking a leading part in shaping commercial affairs in this city. Mr. Pace is the active vice president and cashier of the Citizens State Bank of Houston, one of the strong and capably directed financial institutions of the city. This bank, established in 1919, is capitalized under state charter for one hundred thousand dol- lars, with a surplus and undivided profits of around eight thousand dollars, and total deposits of more than three hundred and twenty-five thousand dol- lars. Mr. Pace is thoroughly familiar with the soundest financial policies, and since becoming iden-

tified with the bank, in April, 1923, has been instru- mental in increasing the deposits materially, and has proven himself an executive of real ability. The officers and directors of the Citizens State Bank are: W. H. Irwin, president; D. D. Orr, vice pres- ident; Arthur V. Pace, vice president and cashier, with J. M. McIntosh, F. A. Sinclair and J. W. Wood as additional directors.

Arthur V. Pace was born at Huntsville, Texas, the twenty-second of April, 1891, son of V. H. Pace of Alabama, and Ella Eastham Pace, of Virginia, who were residents of this state for many years. Mr. Pace attended the public schools of Huntsville, graduating from the high school-there, and shortly afterward graduating from the Sam Houston Nor- mal. He spent the following year as a clerk in a dry goods store in Huntsville. He then went with the Huntsville State Bank, as bank runner, and was with that institution for six years, leaving as assistant cashier. He then went to Goose Creek, Texas, and was with the Guaranty State Bank of Goose Creek from 1917 until 1923, first as cashier, then as vice president, and later as president. He liquidated his interest in that institution in 1923 and came to Houston, where he has since been active vice president and cashier of the Citizens State Bank.

Mr. Pace was married at Houston the fifth of September, 1922, to Miss Lucy Hurst, a native of Beaumont, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. Pace have recently come to Houston, and have an attractive home on West Alabama Avenue. Mr. Pace is a Mason, being a member of the Blue Lodge, the Chapter and Knights Templar of Huntsville, and is a member of Arabia Temple Shrine at Houston. He is also a Knight of Pythias and a Dokey.

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MEN OF TEXAS

ILLIAM WARD WATKIN, Architect, of Houston, with offices in the Scanlan Build- ing, has combined in his work a harmony of constructive beauty and artistic arrange- ment that distinguishes his work and arrests the attention of all classes. Mr. Watkin has studied ex- tensively in this country and England and has brought the best of Old World architectural beauty to his home land and united it with American ideas and modern modes of living. The result classifies him as an exceptionally gifted master builder. Mr. Watkin opened his offices in Houston in 1910 and among the imposing homes in Houston erected by him are those of H. C. Wiess, F. A. Heitmann, Dr. E. M. Armstrong and Neil Masterson. He built the residences of W. A. Priddie and Perry Wiess in Beaumont. All of the homes mentioned cost up- ward from $100,000.00 each. Among the large build- ings he has designed and built in Beaumont are the Y. M. C. A. Building and Saint Marks Church. Mr. Watkin is Professor of Architecture at the Rice In- stitute, where he has the strongest department in the South. There are four instructors in the de- partment, with Mr. Watkins at the head: Assistant Professor, James H. Chillman, a graduate of the . American Academy at Rome; Chas. H. Browne, Ecole Des Beaux Arts; J. C. Tidden, Artist, a graduate of the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts. Mr. Wat- kin and his assistants have been consulting archi- tects for many of the city additions in regard to landscape gardening, etc. Mr. Watkin has been identified with the building of Rice Institute since 1910, in association with Cram and Ferguson, of Boston, Associate Architects in all Rice Institute work. In the same manner he is just starting the new Central Library for the city of Houston, a build- ing that will ultimately cost $750,000.00. Among the buildings now under construction which are Mr. Watkin's personal work and design are: The Hous- ton Art Museum, which, when completed, will repre- sent $1,000,000. He is also Associate Architect with F. and A. B. Ware, of New York, in the erection of the Y. M. C. A. Building at Galveston. Mr. Wat- kin has designed a number of important building enterprises, which include colleges, churches and public buildings, throughout the State. Among these are a number of the normal schools of Texas, Sam Houston Normal Institute at Huntsville, Sul Ross Normal at Alpine, Auditorium of A. and M. College, South Texas Commercial National Bank Building at Houston, and Trinity Church of Hous- ton. Among the buildings being erected by Mr. Watkin is the Chemical Laboratory Building for the Rice Institute, which will cost $600,000.00, and he expects during the current year to complete the sec- ond residential hall for men at the Rice Institute at a cost of $250,000.00.

A native of Massachusetts, Mr. Watkin was born in Boston in 1886. His father, F. W. Watkin, died at an early age. His mother was Miss Mary Han- cock, a member of a prominent Pennsylvania family. His maternal grandfather, William Hancock, was an iron manufacturer, and one of the pioneers in that field. He wrought the first railroad rails made in America. The public and high schools of Pennsyl- vania furnished the foundation for Mr. Watkin's education. He graduated from the high school of Danville, Pennsylvania, in 1903. He then took a course in the University of Pennsylvania, graduat-

ing in Architecture with the B. S. degree in 1908. Later he spent one year in England in travel and study.

In 1909 he began the practice of his profession in Boston with the firm of Cram and Ferguson, who are regarded as among the leading architects of the East. He remained with this firm until the latter part of 1910, coming to Houston at that time. Mr. Watkin was married at San Antonio in 1914 to Miss Annie Ray Townsend, a native Texan and a daughter of Judge Marcus H. Townsend, a well known Texas lawyer, who served as State Senator from Colorado County. They have three children, Annie Ray, Rose- mary and William Ward, Jr. Mr. Watkin is a mem- ber of the American Institute of Architects, Texas Chapter American Institute of Architects, the Uni- versity Club, and the Houston Country Club. He is a loyal member of the Trinity Church. Mr. Watkin is decidedly optimistic as to the future growth of Houston, and believes that in the year 1930 Hous- ton's population, conservatively estimated, will have increased to 325,000. Mr. Watkin is one of the most popular and progressive men in his profession and his influence is felt and known in the upbuilding and beautifying of Houston and the city is indeed for- tunate in securing his services and having Mr. Wat- kin as a citizen.

H. TAYLOR is well known in the cotton circles of the State, where he has been engaged in the cotton business all his life and has had a practical experience in every branch of this industry. Mr. Taylor is Manager of the Houston branch office of Stewart Bros. Cotton Company, Inc., with offices at 1426 Cotton Ex- change Building. The headquarters of this cotton firm is at New Orleans, with branch offices at Bos- ton, Fall River, Providence, New Bedford, Char- lotte, North Carolina, Houston, Phoenix, Arizona, and points in Mississippi. The Stewart Bros. Cot- ton Company are exporters and specialize on staples. The Texas office was formerly located at Waco, but the firm was quick to grasp the advantages that Houston as a port, is able to offer to an exporting business.

A native Texan, Mr. Taylor was born at Bremond, July 27, 1875. His education was obtained in the public and high schools at Bremond, Texas. Soon after leaving school he began his business career with his father, who bought cotton in connection with his grocery store, and there obtained a good schooling in reference to classing, sampling, etc., and started from that experience into the cotton business proper. In 1899 he went with McFadden and Company, buying and classing for this firm through Texas and Louisiana. He came with the present firm of Stewart Bros. Cotton Company in 1911, with whom he has since been connected. His son, Francis Taylor, a graduate of Texas A. and M. College, in Textile Engineering, is also employed in the Houston office of Stewart Brothers. Mr. Taylor is a member of the Houston Cotton Ex- change and his family are member of the Methodist Church. Mr. Taylor has great faith in the future of Houston, and believes that within a period of ten years the Ship Channel will be lined with industries from Houston to the bay, and that Houston, as a port, will be the leader on the Gulf of Mexico. The growth of Houston as a port will depend only on the room in the channel.

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Tym Ward Watkin

NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

D. LANGHAM, senior member of the in- surance firm of Langham and Maillot, is widely known in the insurance and financial circles of Houston and South Texas, where for more than twenty years he has devoted his time and attention to the insurance' business. The acci- dent and liability department of the Aetna Life Insurance Company is their main business, and other lines have been added as business conditions re- quired, and premiums of this department run about $175,000.00 annually. Among other insurance com- panies represented by Langham and Maillot are the Fireman's Fund, Automobile Insurance Com- pany of Hartford, Connecticut; Pacific Fire Insur- ance Company and the Pennsylvania Fire Insurance Company of Philadelphia. The territory of this firm consists of fifteen counties, but the major portion of their business is produced in Houston and Galveston. This agency was established in Houston in 1912 under Mr. Langham's own name, and in 1919 Mr. J. Gordon Maillot came into the firm. The Houston office of Langham and Maillot is located at 304 Gulf Building.

A native Texan, Mr. Langham was born at Beau- mont, February 14th, 1882. His father, W. A. Lang- ham, was one of the early Texas pioneers. His mother was Miss Adrian Stephenson, a member of a well known family of the Lone Star State. His early education was obtained in the public and high schools of Georgetown, Texas, after which he at- tended Vanderbilt University during the years of 1902-3.

During the same year in which he left college, Mr. Langham began his business career in the in- surance business at Beaumont, and there learned the fire insurance end of the , business. In 1910 he came to Houston and purchased a half interest in the casualty business of Cravens and Cage, and continued with this firm for two years. He then entered the casualty business alone, which he con- tinued until 1916, when he began in the fire insur- ance end of the business, and from 1916 to 1919 was engaged in this branch, and in 1919 was joined in the business by Mr. Maillot, who is well known in the business circles of Houston and South Texas, and their business is increasing rapidly. Mr. Lang- ham has been twice married. His first marriage was in 1909, and he has one child by this marriage, Charles Markham, who is with his grandparents in Chicago. He was married again on February 5th, 1923, at Houston, to Mrs. Marie F. Lucas. Mr. and Mrs. Langham reside at 2017 Milam Street. Mr. Langham is a member of the A. F. and A. M., with membership in Gray Lodge of Houston, where he is a member of both the York and Scottish Rite bodies of this Order and in the latter has attained to the 18th degree, and is a member of the Arabia Temple Shrine. Mr. Langham is a member of the Houston Insurance Exchange, the State and Na- tional Insurance Associations, and also holds mem- bership in the Houston Chamber of Commerce, the Kiwanis Club, Houston Club and the Houston Coun- try Club. Mr. Langham takes an active interest in all matters having as their object the civic im- provement, advancement and progress of Houston, and says that this city never feels any kind of depression as much as other cities, on account of it not being dependent on any one line of business. With the manufacturing industries, lumber, oil, cat-

tle, cotton, rice and various other money making industries and crops, besides the importing and exporting business of all kinds, Houston is always in a busy, thriving condition, and expansions in all lines are to be looked for within the next few years.

DMOND L. LOREHN is one of the younger business men of Houston who never found it necessary to go elsewhere for the train- ing and experience that brings success in the business world. A native of Houston, his edu- cation and business experience has been gained entirely in this city and now, while still a very young man, he is identified in an executive capacity with one of the leading industrial establishments here.

Mr. Lorehn is secretary and treasurer of the Cameron Iron Works, 711 Milby Street, manufac- turers of oil field supplies and specialties, including fishing tools of all kinds, tool joints, fish-tail bits, drill collars, drive shoes and pump repair parts. The company was organized in July, 1920, and is incorporated with J. S. Abercrombie, president; Harry S. Cameron, vice president and general man- ager, and Mr. Lorehn, secretary and treasurer. All the accounting and clerical work is under the direct supervision of Mr. Lorehn.

The Cameron Iron Works occupies a full half block on Milby Street, along the G. H. and H. (Southern Pacific) Railroad, and is splendidly equipped with modern machinery, including lathes, drills, power machines, etc. The company carries a complete stock of nearly everything required for emergency work in the oil fields and gives particular attention to any special orders for parts not car- ried in stock. The trade territory of the Cameron Iron Works is the entire coastal oil fields of South Texas and Louisiana and the splendid service given since its establishment in 1920 has brought the company to the forefront of the ranks of oil field specialty houses.

Mr. Lorehn was born in Houston on August 6, 1894. He is a son of Olle J. and Lucy (Browne) Lorehn. His father is a well known architect of this city. After completing his preparatory work in the public and high schools, Mr. Lorehn entered Rice Institute, where he continued his studies for three years, leaving the Institute on May 8, 1917, to enter the United States Army. He enlisted at Camp Stanley at San Antonio and received a com- mission as lieutenant of field artillery and was on duty at various army camps until receiving his dis- charge on December 14, 1918. After leaving the army Mr. Lorehn went to work in the coastal oil fields, securing a practical experience that has been of vast benefit to his company in handling the hun- dreds of complicated orders received from time to time. He is thoroughly familiar with every detail of a rotary drilling rig from crown block to drill bit and has never regretted the time spent in the arduous work of the oil fields, frequently referring to it as among the most interesting and valuable experiences of his entire life.

Mr. Lorehn is unmarried and is very popular among the social circles of Houston. He is a mem- ber of the Knights of Columbus and takes an active interest in civic affairs and is on the alert to aid in any movement for the betterment and advance- ment of the city of his birth.

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MEN OF TEXAS

W. FONDREN is one of the pioneers of the oil industry in Texas, having been en- gaged in this field of activity since oil was discovered in the state. As a vice president of the Humble Oil and Refining Company he is in charge of the drilling and production, which natur- ally is one of the most important departments of an oil company. Five hundred men are employed in this department of the company. It is the policy of this department to drill their wells with their own rigs whenever possible, but in some cases, in order to expedite the work, some wells are contracted. Mr. Fondren came to Houston in 1904 from Beaumont, Texas, where he had been operating independently in the South Coastal fields, and continued as an independent operator until 1917, when the Humble Oil and Refining Company was organized. Mr. Fondren was connected with the old Humble Oil Company from the time of its organization in 1911, becoming a director soon after this date, and serving as vice president from 1913 until the present com- pany was organized, when he again was made a vice president. Since 1917 he has devoted his entire attention to the Humble Oil and Refining Company.

A little of the history and development of the Humble Oil and Refining Company might properly be recorded here. This company is the outgrowth of the Humble Oil Company in which Mr. R. S. Ster- ling and Mr. Fondren were the prime factors, the former looking after the office and managment de- tails and the latter, the field operations. The cap- ital stock of the company in these days was but sev- enty-five thousand dollars but careful operation caused the company to grow rapidly in production so that in 1917 when the present company was or- ganized with a capital of $4,000,000 the stock holders were given seven shares of the new company for each share of the old company. The capitalization today is $43,750,000 with assets above the $100,- 000,000 mark.

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New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 1, Part 90

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