Thomas William House, Sr.

Thomas William House Sr.
Official mayoral portrait
Mayor of Houston
In office 1862–1862
Preceded by	William J. Hutchins
Succeeded by	William Anders
Personal details
Born	March 4, 1814 Stoke St Gregory, Somerset, England
Died	January 17, 1880 (7009207878400000000♠65 years, 319 days) San Antonio, Texas
Spouse(s)	Mary Elizabeth Shearn
Children	9
Residence	Houston, Texas
Profession	Businessman

Thomas William House Sr. (1814–1880) was a merchant and cotton factor in Houston, Texas. He also invested in and organized transportation and utility companies in the Houston area. He was a veteran of the Texas Revolution and provided financial assistance to the Confederacy during the American Civil War. He was mayor of Houston, Texas in 1862.

House was born on March 4, 1814 in Stoke St Gregory, Somerset, England. His family are likely to have been of Anglo-Saxon, or possibly Norse origin (from the Old English and Old Norse hūs). In May 1835, House emigrated to New York City. There, he became a successful pastry maker. In 1836, House accepted an invitation from the owner of the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana to run the bakery at the hotel. In 1836, he moved to Texas to fight in the Revolution against Mexico. He was rewarded with a land grant in Coryell County and, in 1838, he opened his own bakery, House and Loveridge in Houston, Texas. The store produced and sold Houston's first ice cream, and the store became the leading store in Houston. The next year, he obtained another partner in the form of Charles Shearn, later the chief justice of Harris County. House fell in love with Shearn's daughter Mary Elizabeth, and in 1840 they married.

In 1851, House helped to organize the steamboat company Houston and Galveston Navigation Company. Their steamboats carried not only freight, but also passengers and U.S. mail. Other companies he worked with included the Texas Transportation Company, the Houston Direct Navigation Company, and the Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Company. All of these companies contributed to Houston's development. For a brief time, he had a second partnership with his father-in-law Shearn. Later, in 1853, House bought the cotton jobbing business of James H. Stevens and Company, a dealer in dry goods and groceries. He paid $40,000 for it. At the time, it was the largest sum of money to change hands in Houston's history. House renamed the company T.W. House and Company, and began extending loans to cotton planters. Edward Mather, an employee since 1841, was his "company". However, when Mather left in 1862, House was alone in business again. During the time they were together, T.W. House and Company became Texas's largest wholesaler. House prospered selling commodities ranging from hides to syrup and from guns to blacksmithing tools. Ox wagons would wait 12 hours for their goods to be loaded into his store. Out of his store, he built his great private bank.