Constellation Similarity Assertions

Few of the major figures in the history of Houston have had as widespread an influence as Joseph Stephen Cullinan. At times, the word paradoxical comes to mind when the scope of his diverse interests is examined. A leading early exponent for the Texas oil industry, Cullinan was yet an ardent conservationist, who argued for governmental controls over the petroleum business out of concern for preserving natural resources. Although he maintained a fairly consistent record of lifetime support for the Democratic Party, Cullinan advocated the Progressive candidacy of Robert LaFollette in 1924 and in the later years of his life supported the reactionary Liberty League after he became disenchanted with the policies of the New Deal. Despite his flirtations with nativist movements, he strongly opposed the Ku Klux Klan as a result of his own Irish Catholic background, even though he disavowed any affiliation with organized religion. Arriving in Corsicana, Texas from his native Pennsylvania, where he was born on December 31, 1860, Cullinan immediately became involved in the exploration and drilling of the Corsicana oil fields, borrowing on his own experiences as an oil field worker for Standard Oil. After the discoveries at Spindletop in 1901 shifted the geographical emphasis of the Texas oil industry to the Beaumont area, Cullinan moved his own center of operations there, where he became president of the newly-formed Texas Company in 1902. Recognizing the potential of Houston as an oil center, Cullinan moved the headquarters of the Texas Company there in 1908.

From the description of Joseph S. Cullinan papers, 1895-1939. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 707734289

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