Hugh Roy Cullen
| Hugh Roy Cullen | |
|---|---|
H.R. Cullen, ca. 1947
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|
| Born |
July 3, 1881 Denton County, Texas, United States |
| Died | July 4, 1957 (aged 76) Houston, Texas, United States |
| Occupation | Oilman, Philanthropist |
| Known for | Philanthropism |
| Spouse(s) | Lillie Cranz Cullen |
| Children | Roy Gustav Cullen, Agnes Louise Cullen Arnold, Margaret Cullen Marshall, Wilhelmina Daisy Cullen Smith |
| Parent(s) | Cicero Cullen, Louise Beck Cullen |
| Relatives | Ezekiel Wimberly Cullen |
| Website | The Cullen Foundation |
Hugh Roy Cullen (July 3, 1881 – July 4, 1957) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Cullen was heavily involved in the petroleum industry, was a large supporter of the University of Houston, and longtime chairman of the board of regents for the university. He is considered one of the most important figures in Texas during the Oil Boom era.
Cullen grew up in San Antonio 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 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 Dallas, 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 Spanish–American War. Roy was rejected after his father blew the whistle on Roy's age, too young to fight.
Still seeking a path in life, Roy moved with his half-sister and her husband to Schulenburg, Texas, 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, Ralli Brothers, could resell it at a profit. He eventually took a job with a Houston firm and was dispatched to Mangum, Oklahoma, 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 Panic of 1907. He discovered that Houston was seeking lots of shipping business and Roy figured the place was ripe for opportunity. He relocated his family there 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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