DUANE
Duane's take
Here's what the official marker has to say, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Thomas William House. Born March 4, 1814, in Stoke St.
Gregory, Somersetshire, England. Died January 17, 1880. And in between those two dates — well, that's quite a story.
In May of 1835, House emigrated to the United States. A baker by trade. Not exactly the résumé you'd expect for a man destined to become one of Houston's most influential citizens, but hold on — we're getting there.
He landed work at the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans, and by 1838 he had made his way to Houston, where he established the company of House and Loveridge, Bakers and Confectioners. Now, flour and sugar were just the beginning.
House had a nose for opportunity the way some men have a nose for weather. He expanded into general merchandise, then cotton brokerage, then banking. He helped organize the Houston and Galveston Navigation Company.
He promoted the city's first street railway. He organized the Houston Gas Light Company. And he served as a director and stockholder in several railroad companies, including the Houston and Texas Central.
The man was everywhere the future was going. Houston voters elected him city alderman in 1857, then again in 1861, and in 1862 he became mayor of Houston. By the time the dust settled, his business empire had spread across properties in at least sixty-three Texas counties.
Sixty-three. The crown jewel among them was his sugar plantation near Arcola, in Fort Bend County. He and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Shearn — born 1822, died 1870 — raised eight children together.
And one of those children would carry the House name into the pages of world history. That was Edward Mandell House, born in 1858, who became the principal advisor to President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. Think about that thread — a baker from Somersetshire crosses an ocean, rolls up his sleeves in New Orleans, plants roots in a young Texas city, builds an empire across sixty-three counties, and raises a son who goes on to counsel a president through a world war.
Thomas William House is buried in Houston's Glenwood Cemetery. Not a bad place to rest after all that.
What the marker says
(March 4, 1814 - January 17, 1880) A native of Stoke St. Gregory in Somersetshire, England, T. W. House emigrated to the United States in May 1835. A baker by trade, he soon was employed by the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans. By 1838 he had moved to Houston and established the company of House and Loveridge, Bakers and Confectioners. Destined to become one of Houston's most influential citizens, House soon expanded his business interests to include general merchandise, cotton brokerage, and banking. He helped organize the Houston and Galveston Navigation Company; promoted the city's first street railway; organized the Houston Gas Light Company; and was a director and stockholder in several railroad companies, including the Houston and Texas Central. House was elected a city alderman in 1857 and 1861, and in 1862 became mayor of Houston. Eventually, his business empire grew to include properties in at least 63 Texas counties, the most notable being his sugar plantation near Arcola in Fort Bend County. Married to Mary Elizabeth Shearn (1822-1870), House was the father of eight children, including Edward Mandell House (1858-1938), principal advisor to President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. Thomas William House is buried in Houston's Glenwood Cemetery.