Culberson, Olin Wellborn Nichols

Olin Culberson was a Texas Railroad Commissioner known for championing the causes of independent oil producers. Culberson was born October 26, 1886 in Turnerville, Texas. He began his working life in the railroad yards at the suggestion of his relative Charles A. Culberson, Texas governor and U. S. Senator, before enlisting for World War I. Culberson returned to Texas and was elected Hill County Clerk and then County Judge. Culberson was then appointed examiner for the Commission in the late 1930s. He was elected to the Texas Railroad Commission in the summer of 1940. Culberson served on the three-member commission for over 20 years, administering the affairs of Texas’ oil-gas industry, the state’s public carriers, and its gas utilities. Culberson was active in local politics and a forerunner in urging the conservation of natural gas.

From the guide to the Olin Wellborn Nichols Culberson Papers 73-120; 82-389; 90-373., 1860-1964, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)