Craig Francis Cullinan Jr. (May 17, 1925 – March 17, 2004) was an American oilman from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and baseball executive. He served as Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Houston Sports Association, the founding group of thirty members that acquired the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...

franchise rights. Originally named the Houston Colt .45's, Cullinan Jr. served as the team's first president.

Biography

Born to Craig F. Cullinan Sr. and Edith Cullinan (née Phillips) on May 17, 1925, in Houston, Texas, his grandfather, Joseph S. Cullinan, founded The Texas Fuel Company in 1902 which would eventually be known as

Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company until i ...

. After completing high school at

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

in 1942, Craig Cullinan Jr. served as an ensign in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Se ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. When the war ended, he entered

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, where he was a member of the

Wolf's Head Society Wolf's Head Society is a senior society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The society is one of the reputed "Big Three" societies at Yale, along with Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key. Active undergraduate membership is elected annual ...

, graduating in the Class of 1949. Cullinan died in 2004, leaving behind one child and three grandchildren.

Baseball career

Cullinan was convinced by George Kirksey to show interest in baseball for Houston. In 1957, Cullinan, Kirskey, and Bill Kirkland formed the Houston Sports Association. For his efforts, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award by the Houston sports writers in 2001.

Thoroughbred racing

Craig Cullinan Jr. owned and raced a number of Thoroughbred racehorses, the most successful of which was

King's Bishop King's Bishop (1969–1981) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Background King's Bishop was a bay horse bred in Kentucky by Warner L. Jones, Jr. He was sired by U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Round Table. He was out of the mare Spea ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullinan Jr., Craig F. 1925 births 2004 deaths Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Yale University alumni United States Navy reservists Houston Colt .45s executives Major League Baseball team presidents Houston Astros executives American racehorse owners and breeders American newspaper editors Businesspeople from Houston 20th-century American businesspeople Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas) United States Navy personnel of World War II United States Navy officers