Ross Sterling, Texan : : A Memoir by the Founder of Humble Oil and Refining Company / / Ross S. Sterling, Editor Kilman; ed. by Don Carleton.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Texas Press eBook-Package Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Sterling, Ross S.,; Kilman, Editor,
• MitwirkendeR: Briscoe Jr, Dolph,; Kilman, Ed,
• HerausgeberIn: Carleton, Don,
• Place / Publishing House: Austin : : University of Texas Press, , [2010]; ©2007
• Year of Publication: 2010
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (280 p.)

Born on a farm near Anahuac, Texas, in 1875 and possessed of only a fourth-grade education, Ross Sterling was one of the most successful Texans of his generation. Driven by a relentless work ethic, he become a wealthy oilman, banker, newspaper publisher, and, from 1931 to 1933, one-term governor of Texas. Sterling was the principal founder of the Humble Oil and Refining Company, which eventually became the largest division of the ExxonMobil Corporation, as well as the owner of the Houston Post. Eager to "preserve a narrative record of his life and deeds," Ross Sterling hired Ed Kilman, an old friend and editorial page editor of the Houston Post, to write his biography. Though the book was nearly finished before Sterling's death in 1949, it never found a publisher due to Kilman's florid writing style and overly hagiographic portrayal of Sterling. In this volume, by contrast, editor Don Carleton uses the original oral history dictated by Ross Sterling to Ed Kilman to present the former governor's life story in his own words. Sterling vividly describes his formative years, early business ventures, and active role in developing the Texas oil industry. He also recalls his political career, from his appointment to the Texas Highway Commission to his term as governor, ending with his controversial defeat for reelection by "Ma" Ferguson. Sterling's reminiscences constitute an important primary source not only on the life of a Texan who deserves to be more widely remembered, but also on the history of Houston and the growth of the American oil industry.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Foreword -- Introduction: Don Carleton -- One. Double Bayou -- Two. The Flip of a Coin -- Three. The First Two Oil Wells -- Four. Taking Over Standard -- Five. A Personality Company -- Six. Pulling Stakes at Fifty -- Seven. Deerslayers Deluxe -- Eight. Highways of Destiny -- Nine. The Unbonding Plan -- Ten. An Unpolitical Politician -- Eleven. Pour It On -- Twelve. The World Loves a Winner -- Thirteen. The Supreme Honor of My Life -- Fourteen. Crisis in East Texas -- Fifteen. Drowning in Ten-Cent Oil -- Sixteen. Holding the Bull -- Seventeen. Whistling in the Dark -- Eighteen. Flying Words and Eggs -- Nineteen. The Battle of the People -- Twenty. It Was a Great Show -- Twenty-one. Martial Law’s Finale -- Twenty-two. Back in the Chips -- Twenty-three. The View from the Western Slope -- Epilogue -- Notes -- Index