Thomas Wilson House was born on March 4, 1814, in Somersetshire, England . House came to the United States in 1835, and later moved to New Orleans.
In 1938, House co-opened the House and Loveridge, bakers and confectioners business in Houston, Texas . In 1939, House opened a business with Charles Shearn . In 1840, House married his partner’s daughter and started accepting bank deposits at the business. He is known for making and selling the first ice cream in the city of Houston . House’s business continued to grow, with one side of the store being confections, and the other side holding dry goods. In 1853, House bought James H. Stevens and Company’s Dry Goods for $40,000, and changed the name to T.W. House and Company . The company was the largest of its kind in the state. House accepted cotton as a form of payment, and as a result, he formed his own private bank. In 1872, House obtained a sugar plantation at Arcola, and maintained a 70000 acre ranch in LaSalle County. House continued to farm cotton on the side, and became a leading cotton merchant.
During this time, he helped organize the Houston and Galveston Navigation Company. House also worked with the Texas Transportation Company, the Houston Direct Navigation Company, as well as the Buffalo Bayou Ship Company. In 862, House was elected mayor of Houston, where he served one term. In 1866, House organized the Houston Gas Company, the city’s first public utility. House also contributed to the city’s first street railway, the Board of Trade and Cotton Exchange, and various railroads, including the Houston Texas Central. During the Civil War, House aided the Confederacy during the Civil War by obtaining supplies from Mexico and organizing blockade runners. House died on January 17, 1880 .
From the guide to the Inventory of the Thomas William House Papers: Texas ARCH 00255., 1864-1872., (Cushing Memorial Library)
