Chet Upham
| Chester Robert Upham, II | |
|---|---|
| Texas Republican State Chairman | |
|
In office 1979–1983 |
|
| Preceded by | Ray Barnhart |
| Succeeded by | George W. Strake, Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 19, 1925 Mineral Wells Palo Pinto County, Texas, USA |
| Died | Mineral Wells, Texas |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Virginia Frances Lee Upham (married 1946-his death) |
| Children |
Barbara Lee Upham |
| Parents | Chester Robert and Ida Irene Upham |
| Residence | Mineral Wells, Texas |
| Alma mater |
University High School |
| Profession | Oil and natural gas business |
|
(1) Some of the oil wells drilled by Upham in the late 1940s were still operating at the time of his death early in 2008. (2) Upham's term as chairman of the Texas Republican Party (1979–1983) coincided with the first administration of Governor Bill Clements, the first GOP chief executive in Texas since Reconstruction. (3) In addition to business and politics, Upham was involved in aviation and ownership of Loveland Ski Area in Colorado, the first to use "artificial" snow. |
|
Barbara Lee Upham
Mary Kathleen Upham, M.D.
Chester R. Upham, III
University High School
University of California at Los Angeles
(1) Some of the oil wells drilled by Upham in the late 1940s were still operating at the time of his death early in 2008.
(2) Upham's term as chairman of the Texas Republican Party (1979–1983) coincided with the first administration of Governor Bill Clements, the first GOP chief executive in Texas since Reconstruction.
Chester Robert Upham, Jr., known as Chet Upham (May 19, 1925 – January 24, 2008), was an oil and natural gas businessman from Mineral Wells, Texas, who served as the chairman of the Texas Republican Party from 1979–1983, corresponding with the first gubernatorial administration of his friend, William P. "Bill" Clements, Jr. Upham was a delegate to every Texas state Republican convention from 1960–1994 and to the national conventions of 1972, 1980, 1984, and 1992. He was a member of the Business Council organized by Governor Rick Perry.
Prior to 1900, Upham's grandfather, David A. Upham, came to Texas from Pennsylvania to work on a drilling rig at a time when there were only three such structures in the world. David Upham soon owned and operated what became the fifth rig in existence. Upham Oil and Gas originated in 1914, when David Upham heard about the emerging field in Ranger, located between Fort Worth and Abilene, Texas. In 1917, the senior Upham drilled his first natural gas well in Palo Pinto County. A few years later, David Upham's son, Chester R. Upham, Sr., came to Mineral Wells, the seat of Palo Pinto County, and two men purchased the Consumer's Gas and Fuel Company, a natural gas operation. In 1925, the company extended service to rural communities within Palo Pinto County. In 1926, the company was renamed the Brazos River Gas Company, which served fifteen communities. In 1950, the name was again changed to Upham Gas Company.
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