Stevenson, Branson Graves, 1901-1989

Branson Stevenson was born April 5, 1901 in Franklin County, Georgia. Shortly after his mother died in 1912, he moved with his family to the Panama Canal Zone where he lived through high school and attended an art institute. Stevenson moved to Helena, Montana, in 1920 and joined his brother in oil ventures. He was the advertising manager for Sunburst Oil and Refining Company in Great Falls, Montana. He later worked for Mobil Oil Company from 1931 until his retirement in 1960. During his time in Great Falls, Stevenson was greatly influenced by other Montana artists such as Charles M. Russell and Joe DeYong. By the 1940s, Stevenson was creating artwork of his own in lithograph and pottery media. He studied painting in Japan and served as a guest lecturer in arts and humanities at the College of Great Falls. Stevenson was instrumental in establishing the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena and served as the first chairman of the C. M. Russell Museum board. Stevenson was also highly involved with the Montana Historical Society and the Montana Institute of Arts. Branson Stevenson married Violet Palmer on September 12, 1925. Together they had one son, Maynard, and one daughter, Kalmar. Branson Stevenson died May 27, 1989 in Great Falls, Montana.