John Henry Kirby
John Henry Kirby | |
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Born | Tyler County, Texas, U.S. | November 16, 1860
Died | November 9, 1940 Houston, Texas, U.S. | (aged 79)
Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur; corporate president |
Years active | 1882–1940 |
Known for | Founding Kirby Lumber Company and Houston Oil Company |
Parent(s) | John Thomas and Sarah (Payne) Kirby |
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John Henry Kirby (November 16, 1860 – November 9, 1940) was an American businessman whose ventures made him the largest lumber manufacturer in Texas and the Southern United States. In addition to serving two terms in the Texas Legislature, he also established the Kirby Petroleum Company. With his successful reputation, he was known by his business peers as "The Prince of the Pines" and "The Father of Industrial Texas".[1] He was also active in anti-union and subversive political activities, cofounding the Southern Committee to uphold the Constitution which supported racism, fascism, and sought to block the reelection of Franklin D. Roosevelt.[2][3] Kirbyville, Texas, in Jasper County is named after him, as is Kirby Drive and Upper Kirby in Houston.
Early life and political ties
He was born to John Thomas and Sarah Kirby (
In 1887, with Cooper's influence, Kirby provided legal services to a group of investors from
Business venture in oil
The following year, and after the discovery of oil at
In 1923, Kirby received an honorary law degree from Lincoln Memorial University. Due to the Great Depression, his lumber company suffered financial strain and fell into the hands of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1933 due to bankruptcy. He remained president of the enterprise until his death on November 9, 1940.[12][13]
Later political and anti-union activities
Perceptions of Kirby's treatment of his employees were at times mixed. On one hand he was known to provide Christmas dinners, bibles, toys, other gifts, and funds for college educations for children and of mill towns. He was also one of the earliest in the region to reduce work hours from 10 to 8 in his mills. However, these actions have been criticized as being paternalistic. Additionally, unionization efforts were met with hostility. Following the organization of the Brotherhood of Timber Workers in 1910 Kirby stated that "In the view of the owners such efforts, if successful, will be absolutely destructive of the industry."[14] The Southern Lumber Operators Association, spearheaded by Kirby who was sitting president of the organization, preemptively attempted to discredit the union in the public eye, decrying it as a socialist, anarchistic, and radical organization.[15] Furthermore, he and other operators constructed yellow dog contracts, triggering several strikes and the closure of mills. On 27 July 1910, it was decided that Kirby would close 11 mills in the vicinity of DeRidder, Louisiana, locking out approximately 3,000 employees beginning 7 August. Kirby and 125 other operators agreed to close 300 mills across Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and Mississippi.[14][15] The American Lumber Company in Merryville, Louisiana, was one of the few member companies of the SLOA that did not comply with the lockout, instead agreeing to a contract with the union. Kirby met this with hostility, stating ALC's J.M. West "betrayed us..." and "we forced him out and closed the door in his face." One of the principal issues Kirby and the SLOA took with the BTW was its integration of Black, Mexican, and, Italian workers as well as white. Kirby attempted to stoke racial tension, writing to a Black school teacher "The promoters of that Brotherhood have no concern about our colored citizenship except insofar as they can use the negroes for their personal advantage."
Tensions continued to escalate between the workers and operators into 1912, especially after the BTW elected to affiliate with the
Also in 1916, he and fellow Texas business executive and lobbyist
Philanthropy
Kirby provide the land and funds to build Kirby High School in Woodville, Texas, in 1928. The last class graduated in 1979.[17]
In 1929, Kirby donated part of what is today the 626-acre (2.5 km²) John Henry Kirby State Forest, which is located in Tyler County in southeastern Texas.[18]
Biographies
- John Henry Kirby: Prince of the Pines, by Mary Lasswell Smith(1967)
References
- ^ "Texas Travel". Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2006.
- ^ ISBN 978-1602390362.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8184-0352-1.
- ^ "Camp Ta-Ku-La".
- ^ a b Handbook of Texas Online - KIRBY, JOHN HENRY
- ^ "Silsbee Texas History". Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2006.
- ^ John Henry Kirby
- ^ 174 Years of Historic Houston: Great Houstonians: John Henry Kirby
- ^ Kirby Lumber Company Collection: An Inventory of its Records at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library
- ^ TSHA Online – Texas State Historical Association
- ^ Fondren Library Rice University — Fondren Library
- ^ "Forest History Collection". Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved August 16, 2006.
- ^ "John Henry Kirby Dies in Houston". San Angelo Standard-Times. Houston. AP. November 10, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved February 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ JSTOR 4231438.
- ^ ISSN 0023-656X. Retrieved July 21, 2023 – via Taylor and Francis Online.
- ^ a b Association, Texas State Historical. "Muse, Vance". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
- Texas Historic Sites Atlas.
- ^ Handbook of Texas Online – JOHN HENRY KIRBY STATE FOREST