Columbus Marion Joiner

Columbus Marion "Dad" Joiner
Columbus Marion "Dad" Joiner
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
	In office; 1889–1891
Personal details
Born	March 12, 1860; Center Star; Lauderdale County; Alabama, USA
Died	March 27, 1947 (aged 87); Dallas, Texas
Resting place	Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park in Dallas
Spouse(s)	(1) Lydia Ann Beaver Joiner (married 1882); (2) Dea England Joiner (married 1933)
Children	John Lee, James Bert, Willie Mae, Vernon Snow, Frances Sue, Martha Marie, Ruby Nell, Mary Louise
Parent(s)	James and Lucy Joiner
Residence(s)	Dallas, Texas (last)
Alma mater	Self-educated
Occupation	Lawyer; Oilman

Columbus Marion Joiner, nicknamed Dad Joiner (March 12, 1860 – March 27, 1947), was an American politician oilman who at the age of seventy drilled the discovery well of the East Texas Oil Field of the 1930s.^[1] Newspaper articles referred to Joiner as the Daddy of the Rusk County Oil Field.^[2]^{: 6, 70, 288}

Born in

Tutored at home by his sister, he was taught to read using the Bible, their only book. He learned to write by copying text from the Book of Genesis.^[3]

Joiner left home in 1877, but returned in 1881 to marry and start a

Dallas, Texas, in 1925, where he focused on selling some of his Rusk County leases to recent widows. On 11 August 1925, Joiner obtained a lease on widow Daisy Bradford's 975.5 acre farm, and moved to Rusk County proper in 1926.^[5]^[2]

In 1930, Joiner and Lloyd discovered the East Texas field, the largest petroleum deposit yet found at that time. Based in five counties, it was centered about western Rusk County. Yet, Joiner had oversold interest in all three wells he drilled on the Daisy Bradford farm, and later sold everything for $1.335 million to H. L. Hunt.^[5]^[2]^{: 69–70, 90–92, 110–111}

The town of Joinerville in western Rusk County is named in his honor.^[2]^: 67

East Texas Oil Field

In 1927, A. D. "Doc" Lloyd convinced Joiner to drill for oil in

Texas Company geologist Walter R. Smith visited and joked, "I'll drink every barrel of oil you get out of that hole." Despite the opposition, Joiner was convinced of the possibility of oil in Rusk County. Beginning in 1930, Joiner began to drill eight miles west of Henderson, Texas, on the farm of Daisy Bradford. Using a flimsy pine rig and battered tools, his first two wells were unsuccessful. Eventually, at 8 p.m. on October 3, 1930, the Daisy Bradford Number 3 struck oil. The ensuing gusher sent the area into a frenzy. Joiner was nicknamed "Dad" because he was the father of the oil strike.^[3]^[6]^[2]

^: 26, 32