Glenn McCarthy
| Glenn McCarthy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Glenn Herbert McCarthy December 25, 1907 Beaumont, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 26, 1988 (aged 79–80) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Nationality | United States |
| Education | Texas A&M University, Rice University |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1907 - 1988 |
Glenn Herbert McCarthy (December 25, 1907 - December 26, 1988) was an American oil tycoon. The media often referred to him as "Diamond Glenn" and "The King of the Wildcatters". McCarthy was an oil prospector and entrepreneur who owned many businesses in various sectors of the economy. McCarthy founded the Shamrock Hotel in Houston, which garnered him national fame and inspired the fictional character Jett Rink in Edna Ferber's 1952 novel Giant which, in 1956, became a film, which starred James Dean in the role.
McCarthy was born in Beaumont, Texas almost seven years after the discovery of oil at Spindletop. His father, Will McCarthy, worked in the oil fields and from the age of eight Glenn served the roughnecks as a waterboy for 50 cents a day. During an oil drilling boom near Houston, the family relocated to the city where his father gained employment. When he was 17 Glenn enlisted in the U.S. Navy and subsequently returned to San Jacinto High School. He attended Tulane University on a football scholarship but injured his leg. He later attended Texas A&M and Rice University before dropping out of college and venturing into business. When he was 23, McCarthy married 16-year-old Faustine Lee, whose father William Lee was a partner in Yount-Lee Oil Company. McCarthy later claimed he had less than $1.50 to his name when he got married.
He talked his father and brother into working with him drilling for oil in Hardin County, Texas. The first attempt failed but two years later he made another attempt farther south near Anahuac and succeeded. Between 1931 and 1942 he struck oil 38 times. In 1941 McCarthy bought land where the future Astrodome would be built along with 4,800 acres (19 km2) of what is now Sharpstown. During the 1940s he established 11 new oilfields and expanded several others.
...
Wikipedia