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The Savior of American Capitalism. The Story of How Jesse H. Jones Became A Houstonian Business Shark.
The Savior of American Capitalism. The Story of How Jesse H. Jones Became A Houstonian Business Shark.
The story of
how Jesse H. Jones became a Houstonian
business shark
Success in business takes patience, determination, and an entrepreneurial
spirit. Houston businessman Jesse H. Jones had all these qualities and
CEO of one of Texas's largest and most influential companies, and his
skyscrapers transformed the landscape of the largest city in the state. He was
also one of the few Texans to serve in the presidential cabinet. Learn more
about the life and career of the businessman and civil servant at
houston1.one.
Farmer's son
Jesse Holman Jones was born on April 5, 1874, in Robertson County,
Tennessee, and was the fourth of five children in the family. Jesse's mother,
Laura, died when he was six years old. In 1883, along with his children, as
well as his sister and two of her sons, his father William relocated to Dallas,
Texas. In Dallas, William's brother ran a successful timber business.
From an early age, William instilled in his children that money must be earned.
He gave his three sons a small plot of land where they could produce their
own tobacco and manage their income as they pleased. Jesse, the youngest,
worked hard on his plot and was granted permission to manage a small
tobacco processing factory at the age of 14. As a result, the boy dropped out
of school to pursue a business career.
Active developer
The ambitious businessman rose to prominence as Houston's largest
developer at the time. In 1906, Jones purchased a 50% share in the Houston
Together, they made this publication one of the most prominent in Texas. In
the Bristol Hotel as well as the new headquarters of the Texaco oil and gas
In 1911, Jones bought the Rice Hotel from Rice's private research university,
demolished the old building, and replaced it with a 13-story structure. As a
millionaire, he continued to invest in new construction projects and
businesses.
Marcellus Foster against the Ku Klux Klan. In 1926, when Foster retired,
Jones bought out the remaining half of the Houston Chronicle company and
became its publisher. The influence of the publication was so great that, in
1928, Jones was able to convince Democratic Party officials to call a National
In 1930, Jones purchased the American radio station KTRH and relocated its
main studio from Austin to Houston, specifically to the Rice Hotel, the
long time.
Rice Hotel
Public service
In 1912, Woodrow Wilson, the newly elected President of the United States,
offered Jones the position of United States Secretary of Commerce. Jesse,
however, chose to stay in Houston to pursue his own business interests.
In 1945, Jones resigned from the civil service at the request of President
Roosevelt, who sought the position for Jones' competitor, former Vice
President Henry Wallace. Jesse returned to Houston, where he proceeded to
publish the Houston Chronicle and engage in profitable investments and
business ventures.
Personal life
In 1920, at the age of 46, Jones married Mary Gibbs. They had no children of
their own, although they did raise one of Gibbs' granddaughters. Interestingly,
Jesse and Mary resided at the Rice Hotel until 1926, before moving into a
lived with them. Other members of the extended Jones and Gibbs family had
improve the quality of life of people in Houston and ensure the city's continued
Texas students.
The successful Houston businessman died on June 1, 1956, at the age of 82.
The man was laid to rest in Houston's Forest Park Cemetery. In 2009, he was
inducted into the Texas Newspaper Hall of Fame. Many universities and