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Cheek for the next five years, buying leases on land in
Central and West Texas, 43 in total. With investors' $ 250,000, they had three oil rigs built, but all three were dry. Back in Houston, Lillie would complain to Roy that he traveled too much and didn't spend enough time with his family. In an effort to move his venture closer to home, Roy decided to search for oil on his own and closer to Houston. In the early days of oil exploration,
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255:. He hired Judge Brooks' son Emory to do the drilling job and after some delays, drilling began in the spot that Roy had picked out. It ended up being a "gusher" and was producing 2,500 barrels of oil a day. Roy's investors were impressed and most decided to fund other drill sites. The three other sites drilled came up dry, but the investors still made 300% returns on the initial gusher.
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Humble Field, championing a troublesome layer of shale rock 3,500 feet below the surface, eventually reaching oil-rich Yegua sand. Also at this site, Roy displayed his characteristic approach to his job in that he led by example instead of from a distance; he led the wrangling of an errant pipe to the admiration of the crew.
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The partners squabbled over where to drill their acres for oil. One such salt dome, the Blue Ridge dome, had been previously drilled by West, but Roy insisted on drilling its flanks. The resulting well brought in 60,000 barrels of oil a day. Roy had similar fortunes drilling the perimeter of the old
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would be a hopeful sign of oil. Roy knew of one that he felt was promising, and it lay in the old Pierce
Junction oil field inside the Houston city limits. He wouldn't drill near the center as the previous drillers had, however; Roy had a hunch that the outskirts of the salt dome, where it dipped in
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In 1915, Roy met Jim Cheek, a successful
Houston real estate developer whose office was nearby Roy's. Cheek divulged to Roy his plan to enter the risky, but booming, oil industry. Neither man had any prior experience with oil, but they decided to pursue the venture. Roy worked for and traveled with
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with his mother and siblings; his father had abandoned the family when Roy was only four years old. A misguided kidnapping attempt by his father a couple of years later brought Roy closer to his mother, who was shaken by the event. Roy lived out his childhood in poverty, even resorting to dropping
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After several failed oil wells, Roy reevaluated how drilling was being done; he realized that oil wasn't being drilled for farther than 4,000 below the surface, beyond which were oil-rich sands. He decided to go to his investors with a plan to reach these sands, known as the Frio sands. He would
233:. He discovered that Houston was seeking much shipping business and Roy figured the city was ripe for opportunity. He relocated his family there in 1911 and focused his efforts on learning the business of real estate. After four years of poor results, however, Roy was again down on his luck.
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drill deeper into the ground, despite technical issues and the higher cost, in order to reach the large oil deposits. The investors took the chance, and the result was the second Pierce
Junction gusher, giving Roy his confidence again and establishing him as a respectable oilman.
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In 1947, the
Cullens created the Cullen Foundation. The still extant foundation continues the Cullens legacy of significant support for educational institutions. It funded the expansion and renovation of what became known as the
229:, where his recovering father then lived. After marrying Lillie Cranz, his girlfriend of five years, he continued working as an independent cotton broker, but he searched for a new venture after he lost his savings in the
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the ground, was where oil could be found. He mustered up $ 40,000 in investment with the help of Judge R. E. Brooks and together with $ 20,000 of his own savings, Roy bought a lease on the land from
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289:. Cullen believed zoning regulations to be socialist and un-American. Two more attempts to introduce zoning regulations to the city of Houston failed in 1962 and 1993.
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In 1948, Cullen led the effort to prevent new zoning regulation for land development in the city of
Houston. This was in response to a group of zoning advocates led by
217:, where he found a job in a cotton-trading office. At eighteen, he became a cotton buyer, a position that had him buying cotton from farmers so that the company,
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was the common method of finding drilling sites, a method involving looking for certain geological surface features that could indicate an oil field. Usually, a
206:, where he attempted to make amends with his ailing father. After this proved a failure, he attempted to join the army, recruiting young men to fight in the
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308:. He would continue to make large donations to the university throughout his lifetime. The Cullen Foundation is still a large contributor to the school.
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having struck oil near Texas in 1928. He was a large supporter of multiple educational institutions in and around
Houston, in one of which, the
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out of school in the fifth grade to work at a candy factory to help his mother pay the bills. At sixteen years of age, he made for
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Cullen married Lillie Cranz in 1902 and had five children: Roy Gustav, Lillie, Agnes, Margaret, and
Wilhelmina.
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In late 1954, less than three years before his death, Cullen's fortune was estimated to be $ 200–300 million.
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Roy Gustav Cullen, Agnes Louise Cullen Arnold, Margaret Cullen
Marshall, Wilhelmina Daisy Cullen Smith
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after 1929, due to the belief that the
Democratic Party was, at the national level, the party of
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Still seeking a path in life, Roy moved with his half-sister and her husband to
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movement in 1948, he normally supported Republican candidates, particularly
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external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into
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The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes
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The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes
331:. He was also at one point a supporter of the Dixiecrat movement:
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Cullen had been in his early life a Democrat, but supported
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In 1946, he donated the land in Houston that later became
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He enjoyed the success of his business into his fifties.
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In 1938, the Cullens made a contribution to build the
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738:may not follow Knowledge's policies or guidelines
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676:Hugh Roy Cullen: A Story Of American Opportunity
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390:The Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden
164:(July 3, 1881 – July 4, 1957) was an American
854:American businesspeople in the oil industry
411:"The Very Rich Life of Enrico Di Portanova"
367:Cullen is the grandfather of coal magnate
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774:Learn how and when to remove this message
16:American industrialist and philanthropist
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481:. New York: The Penguin Group. pp.
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859:American energy industry businesspeople
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904:20th-century American philanthropists
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342:in 1952." - Handbook of Texas Online
172:. Cullen was heavily involved in the
899:University of Houston System regents
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595:. Texas State Historical Association
506:Kiger, Patrick J. (April 20, 2015).
674:Kilman, Ed; Wright, Theon (2007) .
355:Hugh Roy and Lillie Cullen Building
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644:Fisher, Daniel (20 January 2003).
508:"The City with (Almost) No Limits"
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788:Works by or about Hugh Roy Cullen
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262:One of Roy's original investors,
137:Cicero Cullen, Louise Beck Cullen
884:People from Denton County, Texas
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421:(3). Emmis Communications: 124.
909:20th-century American academics
864:Businesspeople from San Antonio
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293:Personal life and philanthropy
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380:Cullen College of Engineering
285:, financier and owner of the
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894:People from Mangum, Oklahoma
622:. 1954-12-13. Archived from
541:. 1950-02-13. Archived from
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889:Businesspeople from Houston
589:"Texas Southern University"
409:Davidson, John (Mar 1982).
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334:"Although Cullen aided the
225:firm and was dispatched to
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302:Roy Gustav Cullen Building
347:Texas Southern University
323:and socialism, labelling
304:on the new campus of the
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824:article regarding Cullen
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806:article regarding Cullen
693:Burrough, Bryan (2009).
678:. Kessinger Publishing.
475:Burrough, Bryan (2009).
445:"The Man Who Was Texas"
359:Southwestern University
145:Ezekiel Wimberly Cullen
361:in Georgetown, Texas.
869:Texas Oil Boom people
797:The Cullen Foundation
369:Corbin Robertson, Jr.
306:University of Houston
178:University of Houston
154:The Cullen Foundation
35:H.R. Cullen, ca. 1947
744:improve this article
340:Dwight D. Eisenhower
208:Spanish–American War
756:footnote references
626:on November 2, 2012
121:Lillie Cranz Cullen
564:"CULLEN, HUGH ROY"
533:"Seven Big Texans"
215:Schulenburg, Texas
197:Cullen grew up in
174:petroleum industry
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706:978-1-59420-199-8
699:. Penguin Press.
685:978-0-548-39063-4
646:"Fuel's Paradise"
593:Handbook of Texas
512:urbanland.uli.org
492:978-1-59420-199-8
287:Houston Chronicle
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73:July 4, 1957
51:July 3, 1881
844:1957 deaths
839:1881 births
655:28 November
449:Vanity Fair
317:Republicans
199:San Antonio
874:Dixiecrats
833:Categories
630:2009-02-22
599:2010-07-21
549:2009-02-22
517:August 22,
396:References
315:and other
244:creekology
193:Early life
182:"oil boom"
47:1881-07-03
764:June 2015
748:excessive
427:0148-7736
336:Dixiecrat
248:salt dome
188:Biography
142:Relatives
134:Parent(s)
614:"People"
573:June 19,
374:See also
264:Jim West
253:Gulf Oil
126:Children
790:at the
742:Please
734:use of
223:Houston
150:Website
81:Houston
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650:Forbes
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237:Career
204:Dallas
118:Spouse
100:Oilman
820:1953
811:1951
802:1947
483:19–31
184:era.
85:Texas
59:Texas
822:Time
813:Time
804:Time
701:ISBN
680:ISBN
657:2013
619:Time
575:2015
538:Time
519:2019
487:ISBN
423:ISSN
168:and
70:Died
41:Born
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325:FDR
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