Glenn Herbert McCarthy (December 25, 1907 – December 26, 1988) was an American oil tycoon. The media often referred to him as "Diamond Glenn" and "The King of the

Wildcatter A wildcatter is an individual who drills wildcat wells, which are exploration oil wells drilled in areas not known to be oil fields. Notable wildcatters include Glenn McCarthy, Thomas Baker Slick Sr., Mike Benedum, Joe Trees, Clem S. Clark ...

s". McCarthy was an oil prospector and entrepreneur who owned many businesses in various sectors of the economy. McCarthy founded the Shamrock Hotel in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, which garnered him national fame and inspired the fictional character Jett Rink in

Edna Ferber Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), '' Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Cima ...

's 1952 novel ''Giant''Distinguished HISD Alumni
''

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest Public school (government funded), public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the ci ...

'' which, in 1956, became a film, which starred

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...

in the role.

Early life

McCarthy was born on December 25, 1907, in

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...

, almost seven years after the discovery of oil at

Spindletop Spindletop is an oil field located in the southern portion of Beaumont, Texas, in the United States. The Spindletop dome was derived from the Louann Salt evaporite layer of the Jurassic geologic period. On January 10, 1901, a well at Spindlet ...

. His father, Will McCarthy, worked in the oil fields and from the age of eight, the younger McCarthy served the

roughneck A roughneck is a person whose occupation is hard manual labor. The term applies across a number of industries, but is most commonly associated with the workers on a drilling rig. The ideal of the hard-working, tough roughneck has been adopted by ...

s as a waterboy for 50 cents per day.Evan Kelly.
McCarthy, Glenn Herbert
." ''

Handbook of Texas Online The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...

.'' Retrieved on November 26, 2006. During an oil drilling boom near Houston, Texas, the family moved to the city where his father gained employment. When he was 17, McCarthy enlisted in the U.S. Navy and returned to San Jacinto High School.Staff Writer.
Great Houstonians - Glenn H. McCarthy
." ''Houston History.'' Retrieved on November 26, 2006. He attended

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

on a football scholarship but injured his leg. He later attended Texas A&M University and Rice University, then dropped out of college and ventured into business. When he was 23, McCarthy married 16-year-old Faustine Lee, whose father William Lee was a partner in Yount-Lee Oil Company. McCarthy later claimed he had less than $1.50 to his name when he got married.Robert L. Gaston.
Glenn McCarthy, "King of the Wildcatters"
." ''DrillingInfo Community.'' Retrieved on November 26, 2006.

Oil

He talked his father and brother into working with him drilling for oil in Hardin County, Texas. The first attempt failed, but two years later, he made another attempt farther south near Anahuac, Texas and succeeded. Between 1931 and 1942, he struck oil 38 times. In 1941, McCarthy bought land where the future

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...

was built along with of what is now Sharpstown, Texas. During the 1940s, he established 11 oilfields and expanded several others.

Fame and notoriety

"Diamond Glenn" drew much attention from the national media due to his charismatic personality and his rags-to-riches story. Both loved and scorned by the media, his image formed the cultural mythos of the Texas oil millionaire: a charming, lucky, unabashed businessman. In 1949, McCarthy built the luxurious Shamrock Hotel in Houston, spending $21 million for its construction. He then held what has been cited as "Houston's biggest party" for the hotel's grand opening.Staff Writer.
The Tallest Texans - Glenn McCarthy
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

.'' Retrieved on November 26, 2006. Dozens of Hollywood celebrities, many of whom were flown into Houston Municipal Airport on a

Boeing 307 Stratoliner The Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner (or Strato-Clipper in Pan American Airways, Pan American service, or C-75 in United States Army Air Forces, USAAF service) is an American stressed-skin four-engine low-wing Conventional landing gear, tailwheel mo ...

airplane which he had acquired from

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

.Staff Writer.
Houston's Aviation History Timeline
." ''The Houston Aeronautical Heritage Society.'' Retrieved on November 26, 2006. Like most wildcatters, McCarthy was an aggressive investor. His multiple ventures led to a series of financial up and downs. In 1952, a life insurance company acquired the title to the Shamrock Hotel, which was sold to the

Hilton Hotels Corporation Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. is an American multinational hospitality company that manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels, resorts, and timeshare properties. Founded by Conrad Hilton in May 1919, the company is now led by Christ ...

.Diana J. Kleiner.
Hilton Hotels Corporation
." ''

.'' Retrieved on November 30, 2006. McCarthy restructured his business dealings and persisted. His business holdings included

KXYZ KXYZ (1320 AM) is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by iHeartMedia, and features an all-news radio format aimed at the African American community, as an affiliate of the co-owned Black Information Network. In additi ...

radio station in Houston, two banks, a bar, a brand of bourbon called "Wildcatter", the McCarthy Chemical Company, a magazine, 14 "throwaway" newspapers and a movie production company known as Glenn McCarthy Productions. He served as chairman of the former

Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...

and president of the United States Petroleum Association.

Later life

McCarthy avoided publicity during his later career and lived with his wife in the La Porte area near Galveston, Texas. He had four daughters and one son, Glenn Jr. He died on December 26, 1988, aged 81, in Houston.

References

External links

George Bush Presidential Library and Museum ''100 Tall Texans – Glenn McCarthy''

* ttp://www.hrc.utexas.edu/multimedia/video/2008/wallace/mccarthy_glenn.html Glenn McCarthy interview by

Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace (May 9, 1918 – April 7, 2012) was an American journalist, game show host, actor, and media personality. Known for his investigative journalism, he interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers during his seven-decade car ...

, July 21, 1957, utexas.edu; accessed December 25, 2016. * McCarthy, Glenn and David Courwright
Glenn McCarthy Oral History
, Houston Oral History Project, March 31, 1976. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mccarthy, Glenn Herbert 1907 births 1988 deaths American bankers American drink industry businesspeople American businesspeople in the oil industry Texas Oil Boom people Wildcatters American chemical industry businesspeople Film producers from Texas American hoteliers American investors American magazine publishers (people) American media executives 20th-century American newspaper founders 20th-century American newspaper publishers (people) American businesspeople in real estate Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas) People from Beaumont, Texas Rice University alumni San Jacinto High School alumni Texas A&M University alumni Journalists from Texas 20th-century American journalists American male journalists