New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 2, Part 149

Author: Davis, Ellis A.
Publication date: 1926
Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?]
Number of Pages: 1262

USA > Texas > New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 2 > Part 149

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2047

MEN OF TEXAS

OHN H. HAILEY, owner of John H. Hailey and Company, Cotton Seed Products, has for more than a decade been a factor in the business life of Houston and has built up a growing and prosperous business. Mr. Hailey deals exclusively in cotton seed products and has offices at 1411-12 Cotton Exchange Building. He came to Houston in 1912 and during the same year became a broker of cotton seed products, and his business has grown during this period to immense proportions, and Mr. Hailey is known in all por- tions of the country where this commodity is in use or dealt in as one of the experts in this line, knowing every phase of the business.

Mr. Hailey was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on February 3rd, 1877. His father, Dr. R. H. Hailey, was among the best known physicians of his time. His mother was Miss Minerva Harrison, a native of Tennessee, and a member of a prominent family of that state. His education was obtained in the various public schools of his native state. Soon after leaving school, Mr. Hailey began his business career as a telegraph operator with the Western Union, and continued in this line of endeavor for about three years and during this period, he came to Texas as an operator for this company and was employed at Sugarland, Texas. Since leaving the business of telegraph operator, he has been engaged in his present business.

Mr. Hailey was married in Houston in 1903 to Miss Josephine Callahan, a native of the Lone Star State and a member of a well known South Texas family. They have three children-Josephine Elise, John H. Hailey, Jr., and Gloria Louise. Mr. and Mrs. Hailey reside at 1511 Fairview Avenue. Mr. Hailey has since coming to Houston been an active member of the Cotton Exchange, and is a member of the Cotton Seed Crushers Association. He is a member of the Scottish Rite body of the Masonic fraternity to the 32nd degree, and is a member of Arabia Temple Shrine. Mr. Hailey is regarded as one of the most progressive men engaged in his line of business, and has done much for the benefit of the dealers and shippers of this commodity, which has grown to be one of the leading industries of the state. He never loses an opportunity to speak a good word for the South Texas Metropolis and believes that this city will soon become the leading city of the Southwest.

LAUDE W. SEARS, Cotton Broker, with of- fice at 1512 Cotton Exchange Building, has for more than fifteen years been a factor in the cotton and financial circles of Hous- ton. Mr. Sears started his present business in Hous- ton in 1921 as a spot broker of domestic cotton and handles about 100,000 bales of cotton annually. He began in the cotton business in 1908 with the Weld and Neville Company, and was later with the Evans Company. After a few years, he entered the employ of W. D. Cleveland and Son, where he remained until 1916. Mr. Sears came to Houston when fourteen years of age from Mississippi with his parents, and has been a resident of this city since that time, and all his business life has been devoted to the cotton industry and he is regarded as one of the best posted men in the business, where he has learned all the branches and details.

Mr. Sears was born at Holly Springs, Mississippi, April 16, 1891. His father, the Rev. Peter Gray

Sears, came to Texas in 1905 and is one of the best known ministers of the Episcopal Church in the State, and has for many years been Rector of Christ Episcopal Church of Houston. His mother was Miss Fannie Archer, a member of a prominent Mary- land family. His early education was obtained in the public schools of Holly Springs and Houston, and later he attended Sewanee College, being a stu- dent of that institution during the years of 1906 and 1907. He returned to Houston in 1908 from college and during that year began his professional life in the cotton business. During the World War Mr. Sears was a Captain in the 144th Infantry, 36th Di- vision, and was located at Camp Bowie, Fort Worth, until he went across, where he remained more than one year, and while in service in France was a participant in the Argonne and Champagne drives.

Mr. Sears was married in Houston in 1917 to Miss Georgiana Radetzki, a native of Houston and a daughter of Gus Radetzki, who was for many years Vice-President of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, but is now retired from active business pursuits. Mr. and Mrs. Sears reside at 2108 Bald- win Street. Mr. Sears is a member of the Houston Cotton Exchange and the Texas Cotton Associa- tion. He is a consistent member of the Episcopal Church. Mr. Sears is one of the leaders among the younger men in the business circles of Houston and a bright future is predicted for this progressive, young business man who is yet in the morning of life.

RED FOX is one of the best known of the younger business men in Houston. For over sixteen years connected in various ca- pacities with the Houston Chronicle, lead- ing afternoon newspaper of South Texas, he has been brought actively in touch with the commercial and industrial interests of the city, and has devel- oped an exceptionally wide acquaintance and is accorded a position among the most popular men of the city.

His connection with the Houston Chronicle began on September 13, 1909, when he entered the ser- vice of the Houston Publishing Company as book- keeper. He served in this capacity for a year and in 1910 was made auditor for the company, remain- inig in this position until 1918. He was then pro- moted to the position of treasurer of the company and was made business manager as well. During the time of his connection with the company he has seen the business grow and expand in every depart- ment. The advertising patronage of the Chronicle has especially shown marked gains under the broad and constructive business policies of M. E. Foster, president and publisher. Both editorial and business policies are singularly broad and progressive, fair and tolerant, and the result is shown in a newspaper of which any city might well be proud.

Mr. Fox is a native of Houston and was born on August 14, 1885. He is a son of William and Eliza- beth Fox, and was educated in the public schools of this city. His father was a native of Germany, and came to America when thirty years of age, going first to Galveston and later to Houston, where he worked as a pattern maker and during the last fifteen years of his life engaged in the real estate business. His mother died when Fred was only thirteen months old, and his father died in Los An- geles, April 1, 1921.

2048

MAmayo

NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

After leaving school, Mr. Fox began his business career by accepting employment in the mercantile establishment of Ed Kiam, remaining with this firm for three years, also two years real estate business with his father, before becoming identified with the Houston Chronicle Publishing Company.

Like most newspaper men, Mr. Fox is devoted to his paper, and finds no greater enjoyment than working with his associates to make it bigger and better. He is popular among business men of the city, and numbers his friends by his acquaintances.

ARION SEYMOURE MAYO, native Texan, one of Houston's younger business men, has been a resident of this city for about six years. During this period he has become well known in educational circles. Leaving the teaching profession for business, in which he believed larger opportunities were possible, Mr. Mayo has been identified with some of the leading firms here, gaining valuable experience in each position. At this time he is employed by the dock and warehouse de- partment of the Houston Compress Company, owned and operated by Anderson-Clayton Company.

Marion Seymoure Mayo was born at Commerce, Texas, in 1896. He is the son of the late W. L. and Etta Booth Mayo. His father, one of Texas' most honored men, was the founder and president of the East Texas Normal College, now known as the East Texas State Teachers College, and was also one of the founders of the Southern Methodist Univer- sity, of Dallas.

Mr. Mayo received his preliminary education in a private school at Commerce, Texas. In 1910 he entered the University of Texas, returning in 1911 to the East Texas State Normal, where he remained until 1914 and obtained the A. B. and B. S. degrees. In 1915 he entered the University of California, taking post-graduate work, until 1916 when he re- turned to Texas as instructor in Latin at the East Texas Normal College. On the death of his father, he assumed the acting presidency of this institution. In September, 1917, he was appointed western repre- sentative of the Henry Holt Publishing Company, with headquarters in California. While acting as a representative for this company, he found time to become physical director of the Franklin High School at Los Angeles. During the troublous days at the beginning of the war he was one of one hun- dred men appointed for special fitness to serve as a member of the Oakland war service police. The death of his mother in October, 1918, made his re- turn to Texas imperative to assume the guardian- ship of minor brothers and sisters and the admin- istration of his mother's estate. At this time he was asked to serve in a special capacity on the Hunt County Draft Board No. 2. At the conclusion of the war he was engaged in the investment busi- ness in Dallas, later going to Mexico to represent Mexican interests. In 1919 he came to Houston, where he was engaged was instructor in Latin, Eng- lish and Spanish at the Prosso Preparatory School. Later he was appointed head master of the Y. M. C. A. Preparatory School. A short while after, he opened and operated successfully the Mayo School for Boys. Beginning his business career, he was identified for a short time with H. L. Doherty and Company before going with the firm by whom he is now employed.

Mr. Mayo was married at Houston in 1922 to Miss Beatrice Tomkins. They make their home at 318 Hagerman Street and have one child, Marion, Junior. Mr. Mayo is a member of the Christ Episcopal Church, the University and Salesmanship Clubs. He has an unusually wide acquaintance among the younger men and boys of Houston, as well as the present generation of business men, who predict for him a splendid future.

OSEPH J. DANNENBAUM has for more than sixteen years been actively engaged in the importing and roasting of coffee in Houston, prior to which time he was en- gaged in the cotton business. The Magnolia Coffee Company was organized in July, 1909, and are im- porters and roasters of the well known Wamba cof- fee and is one of the leading coffee firms of the Southwest. All of their coffee is roasted in Hous- ton and they import and roast about 25,000 bags of coffee annually. This company employs more than twenty people at all times in their Houston estab- lishment and have eight men on the road who cover all of Texas and parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Wamba coffee is put up in one Mexico to Fort Worth. He is known to cowmen and three pound cans, which are the convenient sizes for home and hotel use. Other officers of the Mag- nolia Coffee Company are I. M. Epstein, president, and S. Epstein, secreteary and treasurer. Their plant is located at North San Jacinto and Moffitt Streets. The business has grown to wonderful pro- portions and the Wamba coffee is one of the most popular coffees in the Southwest and is growing in popularity with the public.

Mr. Dannenbaum, a native of Germany, was born September 13th, 1878. His father, Julius Dannen- baum, was also a native of Germany and lived and died in his native land. His education was obtained in the schools of Germany. He came to the United States when sixteen years of age and for a time did any kind of work to get a start, after which he went to Seguin, Texas, and remained there in the cotton business until 1907 when he returned to Houston and organized a small coffee company. With the experience thus gained, in 1909 he assisted Mr. M. H. Epstein and his son, I. M. Epstein, in the organization of the present company. Mr. M. H. Epstein came to Texas from Michigan when a lad of 16 and settled in Caldwell County. He came to Houston in 1909 and was associated with Mr. Dan- nenbaum in the coffee industry. Mr. Epstein died June 3rd, 1921. Mr. I. M. Epstein is still actively engaged in this business and upon the death of his father assumed the presidency of the company. Mr. I. M. Epstein was born and raised in Texas, his birthplace being Luling.

Mr. Dannenbaum was married in Houston, Feb- ruary 15th, 1903, to Miss Rosa Dannenbaum, his cousin and a daughter of Joseph Dannenbaum, prom- inent in the business circles of Houston and of Texas. They have three children, Joseph Henry, Sarah and Laura. Mr. and Mrs. Dannenbaum re- side at 505 Dennis Street. Mr. Dannenbaum is a member of the Knights of Pythias and takes an active interest in this organization. He is inter- ested in all agencies working for the greater de- velopment and civic improvement of Houston, which he believes will soon become the leading city of the Southwest.

2051

MEN OF TEXAS

HARLES W. HURLEY, for two decades a prime factor in the commercial world at Houston, is known throughout the Lone Star State, and has built up one of the largest credit rating systems in Texas. Mr. Hurley is president, treasurer and manager of the Texas Mercantile Agency, Incorporated, a business estab- lished at Houston in 1898, and taken over by Mr. Hurley in 1903. This agency is conceded by credit men to be one of the best credit rating systems in the state, supplying retail credit ratings to a very large membership. This organization, a pioneer organization for the protection of merchants against bad credit risks, has developed along progressive lines, and has been instrumental in advancing the importance of credits and their relation to busi- ness prosperity. They have at their finger tips credit information, and co-operate with their mem- bership to the fullest extent. Mr. Hurley is himself an expert on all credit matters, and his solution of credit problems, as well as his discussions of credits and a better understanding of credits, is of inesti- mable value to his organization. The offices of the Texas Mercantile Agency, Incorporated, are in the Republic Building, where a force of twelve trained credit experts assist in making this agency a real service to the merchants of the state. Mrs. M. C. Hurley is vice president and treasurer of the organ- ization.

Charles W. Hurley was born at Galveston, Texas, the son of C. W. Hurley, now deceased, a resident of Galveston for many years and mayor of that city in the seventies. Later he became a ship broker, and was prominent in maritime activities. He in- augurated the first steamship line between Galves- ton and Liverpool and promoted and built the Susie Railroad, running through the Galveston Island, and was one of the promoters of the Santa Fe Rail- road when it was built into the Island City. He spent his later years in Houston. His mother, also deceased, was, prior to his marriage, Miss Sue Ros- elle. The subject of this sketch attended the pub- lic schools of Galveston and Houston, and left school to begin work for his father, who at that time owned and operated a large wood and coal business at Houston. After a short time in the fuel business, he went with the Houston and Texas Central Rail- way, and after fifteen years with that road, spent one year with a rice firm, prior to taking over the Texas Mercantile Company in 1903.

Mr. Hurley was married at Houston, in 1896, to Miss Mary C. Collier, a native of Giddings, Texas, who was reared at Houston. They make their home at 2812 Fannin Street, and have two children, Charles W. Hurley, Jr., a graduate of Texas A. & M. College and a chemical engineer for the Gulf Pro- duction Company, and J. Collier Hurley, who is asso- ciated with his father.

Fraternally Mr. Hurley is a Mason, Holland Lodge No. 1, Washington Chapter No. 2, member of the Knights Templar and of Arabia Temple Shrine. He is active in the work of the Rotary Club and other civic organizations, and is secretary and treasurer of the Retail Merchants Association of Houston and secretary of the Houston Retail Credit Men's Association. Mr. Hurley is a veteran in the credit world, and was one of the first to appreciate the value of credits to organized business, and his place in the credit world is in keeping with his years

of service in this field, and his prestige as a credit man. He has also taken an active interest in com- munity affairs and served as a director of the Hous- ton Chamber of Commerce, at which time he was chairman of the retail merchants division.

ENJAMIN H. SMITH, for the past several years, has taken an active part in manufac- turing affairs at Houston, as a member of an old established manufacturing firm, and has taken a constructive interest in civic develop- ment. Mr. Smith is treasurer and manager of the Houston plant of the Price-Booker Manufacturing Company, Incorporated, of Houston and Waco. This business was established at Houston in 1909 and later the Waco plant, now the headquarters of the company, was established. The Houston plant, on the outskirts of Houston, is housed in a beautiful, white building, of fireproof construction, eighty-four by four hundred and twenty feet, and with an L of sixty by eighty feet. The corporation manufactures and packs pickles, peanut butter, vinegar and other food products, and has eighty-five women and forty men operatives. There are five men on the road out of Houston. The highest sanitary standards govern the operation of the plant, all products being put up in accordance with the most approved meth- ods, and complying with all pure food and sanitary laws. The products of the company bear the trade name of "Texama." The foods packed by this com- pany are of recognized quality, and have an exten- sive sale throughout the Lone Star State, as well as in adjoining territory. Mr. Smith has been treas- urer and manager of the Houston plant since 1921, and with the exception of a period of military serv- ice, has been with this corporation since 1916. L. J. Roter is president and general manager, at the Waco plant, T. M. Gribble, of Waco, is vice president, and J. D. Willis, of Waco, is secretary and attorney of the Price-Booker Manufacturing Company, Incor- porated, in addition to Mr. Smith as treasurer.

Mr. Smith was born at West Point, Georgia, the twenty-first of October, 1876. His father, F. L. Smith, a native of Georgia, came to Texas in 1880, and lived in Central Texas during the latter years of his life. Mr. Smith was educated in the public schools of Fannin County, after coming to Texas, and later took commercial courses at Hill's Business College, and Toby's Business College, two leading commercial institutions of the state. His business experience has been varied, and since entering the business world, Mr. Smith has been a newspaper man, in the mercantile business, and road sales- man in both Texas and Oklahoma. He went with the Price-Booker Company, in 1916, as salesman, and, until entering military service in 1917, was with this corporation. Seventeen years of service with the National Guards, resulted in his commis- sion as Captain of Artillery, and Captain Smith helped organized the 133rd Field Artillery with the Thirty-sixth Division. We was with this di- vision overseas, and was discharged at Camp Pike as Captain, returning with the Price-Booker Com- pany, with which he has since been associated.

Mr. Smith has been twice married, and has a son, Gilbert, by his first marriage. He was mar- ried the second time at Fort Worth, the first of November, 1917, to Mrs. W. J. Stribbling, nee Peel- er, a native of Tennessee. Mr. and Mrs. Smith make

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NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TEXAS

their home in Houston, at 1811 Harvard Avenue. Mr. Smith is a member of the Officers Club, of Hous- ton, Traffic Club and Odd Fellows, and takes an interest in all civic advancement. In the manu- facturing world he is regarded as a man who has a real future in the field of food manufacture, and is a business man of highest integrity.

A. MITCHELL, treasurer and general man- ager of the Houston Textile Mills, Inc., has been a factor in the manufacturing world at Houston since coming here in January, 1924, at which time the mills were established. The Hous- ton Textile Mills manufacture cotton blankets exclu- sively, and are selling this product throughout the world, about fifty per cent of all business being export trade. Although a new product, compara- tively speaking, the blankets manufactured by this firm have become well known to the trade as a high grade product, comparing favorably with old estab- lished lines, and the demand is rapidly increasing. The mills are located on the East Montgomery Road, and the plant is one of the best equipped textile mills in the state. It has fifty-five thousand square feet of manufacturing space and there are two hundred people employed. Officers are Benja- min Clayton, president; W. L. Clayton, and M. D. Anderson, vice presidents, and Mr. Mitchell, treas- urer.

Prior to coming to Houston as general manager of this plant Mr. Mitchell acted as agent for the Massachusetts Cotton Mills, of Lowell, Massachu- setts, one of the largest cotton mills in the United States. Mr. Mitchell has spent practically his en- tire business career in the cotton manufacturing business, and in the course of this career has trav- eled nearly all over the world, and is familiar with cotton mill operation not only as carried on in this country, but in foreign countries, and is regarded as one of the best posted men in the textile business in Texas. He is a kindly and genial type of man who takes a real interest in his employees, ever alert to improve their working conditions whenever possible.

W. A. Mitchell was born at Norton, New Bruns- wick, on the first of March, 1880, son of the late S. D. Mitchell, and Agnes H. (Duncan) Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell, Sr., was a native of New Brunswick, and Mrs. Mitchell of Glasgow, Scotland. Mr. Mitchell attended the schools of Lowell, Massachusetts, and afterward entered the textile business at that place. He served an enlistment of seven years with the Sixth M. V. M. and was a lieutenant.

Mr. Mitchell was married at New Boston, New Hampshire, the fifteenth of January, 1908, to Miss Bella W. Read, daughter of C. W. P. Read and Annie B. (Dolley) Read, the former a native of Taunton, Mass., the latter of New Boston, New Hampshire. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell reside in Houston at 4505 Caroline Boulevard, and have two children, Phyllis Read Mitchell, who attends Mount Vernon School, at Washington, D. C., and Frances Duncan Mitchell, who attends Kinkaid School of Houston .. Mr. Mitch- ell is a Mason, a member of Scottish and York Rite bodies, and Shrine, and belongs to the Rotary Club, the Houston Club, the Houston Chamber of Com- merce, in which he is a director; the National Asso- ciation of Cotton Manufacturers, the American Cot- ton Manufacturers Association, the Texas Cotton

Manufacturers Association, the Texas Industrial Traffic League, and the High Street Congregational Church of Lowell, Massachusetts.

W. MURPHY, manager at Houston of the Japan Cotton Trading Company, Cot- ton Exporters, has devoted his business life to the cotton industry and since com- ing to Houston in 1920 has been a potent figure in the commercial circles of this city. The Japan Cotton Trading Company export their cotton to Japan and are the largest exporters of cotton from this country to Japan. This cotton finally reaches the European markets, but slowly, and much of it is shipped back to the United States after being manufactured into cotton goods. The Japan Cot- ton Trading Company own their Compress at Hous- ton, and employs an average of one hundred and fifty men. This firm concentrates at Houston prac- tically all their purchases from Texas and Okla- homa, and all this cotton is exported from Hous- ton via the ship channel The office of the Japan Cotton Trading Company at Houston is located at 827 and 828 Cotton Exchange Building, and the headquarters of this company for the United States is located at Fort Worth, Texas.

A native Texan, Mr. Murphy was born in the historic town of Jefferson, September 29th, 1880. His family moved to Greenville, Texas, when he was a small boy, and his education was obtained in the public and high schools of Greenville, where he graduated from the latter school. His father, W. H. Murphy, also born at Jefferson, Texas, was manager of the compress at Greenville, and it was here that young Murphy became interested in the cotton business. His mother was Miss Myra Pres- ton, a member of an old Texas family and a daugh- ter of Joe Preston, pioneer druggist of Texas. Mr. Murphy started in the cotton business under his father at Greenville, and at the age of nineteen years, took over the management of the compress at Cleburne, Texas, and was with this compress un- til he went with the Japan Cotton Trading Com- pany, with the exception of one year spent in Dal- las in the cotton business. In 1919, he was with this company at Texas City, where he looked after their concentration there for one year, and was then sent as their manager at Houston.

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New encyclopedia of Texas, volume 2, Part 149

Author: Davis, Ellis A. Publication date: 1926 Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?] Number of Pages: 1262

Author: Davis, Ellis A.
Publication date: 1926
Publisher: Dallas, Tex. : Texas development bureau, [1926?]
Number of Pages: 1262