Oil producer Walter B. Sharp originated the use of drilling mud, which allowed drilling in soft and loose soils, and he became one of Texas’ leading oil men when his innovation resulted in the Spindletop gusher of 1901. He partnered with Howard Hughes, Sr. in the Sharp-Hughes Tool Company. The Sharp-Hughes Rock Bit they designed to drill through hard rock is still in use throughout the world. Estelle B. Sharp, widow of Walter Sharp, devoted her wealth and talents to social welfare and world peace. She was also a generous benefactor to Rice University, endowing the Sharp Lectureship in Civics and Philanthropy in 1918, and continued gifts to the university.

Real estate developer who built Houston’s first skyscraper, the six-story Binz Building, at Main and Texas in 1895.

A civic leader and founder of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She was known by many as the “Belle of the Bayou.” Was instrumental in the preservation of the San Jacinto Battleground, a charter member of Texas State Historical Association, and founder of Sheltering Arms, a home for women in Houston. Widow of Andrew Briscoe, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, and daughter of John R. Harris, founder of Harrisburg, for whom Harris County is named.

Organizer and Commander of the regiment known as Terry’s Texas Rangers. The City of Lubbock in western Texas is named after him.

Frugal millionaire who left the bulk of his fortune for the benefit of all Houstonians in such institutions as Hermann Hospital, Hermann Park, and Hermann Square at City Hall.

20th-century impresario known as the “Empress of the Arts” for bringing blue-chip acts to Houston including Enrico Caruso, the Metropolitan Opera and the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

Sportscaster knoown as the “Voice of the Southwest Conference” for his 32 years broadcasting Texas college football games.

Houston architect who designed numerous public buildings starting in the 1870s, including courthouses across Texas.

Chief Advisor to President Woodrow Wilson. Negotiated the acceptance of Wilson’s Fourteen Points that led to the establishment of the League of Nations.

One of Houston’s earliest merchants and bankers, he helped make Houston a powerful wholesale trade center.

Mississippi governor from 1833 to 1835, he later moved to Texas and helped draft the state’s first constitution.

German immigrants who settled in Houston in 1846. The family operated Houston’s first lumberyard; a later generation opened Bering’s Hardware in 1940.

A founder of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, she was instrumental in establishing the Houston Public Library. A branch library is named for her.

A lawyer and state and federal legislator, he drafted the bill that established The University of Texas and secured funding for early stages of construction of the Houston Ship Channel.

Mayor of Houston 1917–1918. Co-chair of a joint 1946 British-American commission that studied settling Jewish refugees in Palestine, a step toward establishment of the modern state of Israel.

Erected by Houston firefighters in honor of fallen comrades, the monument is topped by a statue of Robert Brewster, the oldest living Houston firefighter at the time. A plaque on the base memorializes firefighters who died in the 1947 Texas City explosion, the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history.

Businessman who built Houston’s first railroad, the Houston and Texas Central, beginning in 1853.

Was instrumental in starting the first kindergarten class in Houston and established Houston’s first home economics program, which was one of the earliest in the state. In 1912, she established the School of Domestic Economy at the University of Texas. She was the first female full professor and department chair at the University of Texas.

Railroad executive and attorney, banker and real estate developer, he founded the law firm known for many years as Andrews Kurth

Longtime executive with Houston Lighting & Power Co., he was involved with many civic organizations and chaired the building committee for the San Jacinto Monument. A power plant in Southwest Houston is named for him.

Partner with Baker Botts for more than 60 years, he was the personal attorney of Rice University benefactor William Marsh Rice and helped bring to justice those responsible for Rice’s 1900 murder. He was the first chair or Rice University’s board of trustees; Baker College at Rice is named in his honor.

Founder and first president of the Houston Settlement Association, which with the support of Edith Ripley became a network of community development centers now known as BakerRipley.

Partnered with his older brother, William Marsh Rice, in Texas real estate investment, banking, rail and cotton. Following his brother’s murder in 1900, he joined Capt. James A. Baker in rescuing the Rice fortune that established Rice Institute (now Rice University). He was a founding Director and Treasurer of Glenwood from 1871 until 1892.

A leader in Houston women’s clubs, she was instrumental in founding the Houston Public Library and served as one of its trustees for more than 40 years. She helped establish the state library commission, supported working women’s rights, and led campaigns for prison reform at the state and national levels.

Lawyer, legislator, newspaperman and railroad executive, he was a tireless civic booster and supported improvements to the Houston Ship Channel. His extensive land holdings in east Houston included Brady’s Island at the Ship Channel Turning Basin.

One of the most beautiful movie actresses of the 1940s, she starred in the classic Laura and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Leave Her to Heaven. She married oilman Howard Lee and spent the last 30 years of her life in Houston.

Legendary King of the Wildcatters, he built Houston’s famed Shamrock Hotel in 1949. The character of Jett Rink in the novel and film Giant is said to have been modeled on him.

Physician, journalist and author of A Thumb-Nail History of the City of Houston, Texas (1912) and True Stories of Old Houston and Houstonians (1913). He co-founded the Houston Post in 1880.

Fort Bend planter who organized the 8th Texas Cavalry Regiment of the Confederate army, better known as Terry’s Texas Rangers.

Wife of Houston’s co-founder Augustus Allen, she was instrumental in the city’s early development as a businesswoman and land owner. Her ties to local history earned her the nickname “Mother of Houston.”

Virginia lawyer who came to Texas in 1835; his diary is a valuable historical record of the Convention of 1836, where Texas declared independence from Mexico. He was a founding member of Houston’s Christ Church in 1839.

Founded Baker Botts, Houston’s oldest law firm, in 1840. He was elected to the first Texas Legislature after statehood and later served as a state court judge and justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Businesswoman and suffrage advocate who, with her sisters Elizabeth and Katherine, formed the first woman suffrage organzation in 20th-century Houston. She later supported the Houston Public Library and Museum of Fine Arts, and shortly before her death funded the purchase of land for Finnigan Park for the use of Black Houstonians.

Merchant who became Houston’s first full-time banker in 1854. Shepherd’s bank later evolved into First City, one of Texas’ largest banks until its collapse in 1992.

Banker who drowned trying to save his sister Daphne, who fell overboard during a boating trip. Daphne and her husband, Edwin L. Neville, later endowed construction of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in his memory.

Prominent businessman, civic leader and real estate developer who helped establish Houston Heights in 1891.

A native Houstonian and world famous heart surgeon who performed the first succesful human heart transplant in America and first implantation of an artificial heart.

Frenchman who moved to Houston in 1837 and became the city’s first trained architect.

Grandson of Christ Church co-founder William Fairfax Gray, he served as rector of the congregation from 1905 to 1926 and became the first rector of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in 1929.

Prominent lumberman and banker who in 1907 founded Lumberman’s National Bank (later Bank of the Southwest). In 1911, he built the 16-story Carter Building, the tallest in Houston until 1926.

Homebuilder and developer who popularized the construction of pre-fabricated homes in Houston through his Crain Ready-Cut House Company. Crain built and developed many neighborhoods including Cherryhurst, Southside Place and Garden Oaks. Edloe Street in Southwest Houston is named for his son, Edward Lillo Crain Jr. (1917–2003).

He served as Texas lieutenant governor from 1914 to 1917 and governor from 1917 to 1921. His administration created the state highway commission and gave women the right to vote. He was later the longtime owner of the Houston Post and KPRC radio and television stations. Hobby Airport was named in his honor.

Prominent businesswoman, publisher and public servant, she organized the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II and was the first woman to become a colonel in the U.S. Army. Under the Eisenhower administration, she was the second woman cabinet member in American history. She ran a media business that included the Houston Post after her husband’s death in 1964.

Famed jazz pianist and bandleader who became prominent with his ensemble Peck’s Bad Boys in the 1920s and ‘30s. Intensely private, he refused offers to join the bands of Bing Crosby, Paul Whiteman and Artie Shaw, preferring to perform in and around Houston. Kelley lived most of his life in a home on Silver Street near Glenwood.

Retired butcher who spent his later years filling 13 notebooks with collages, drawings and watercolor paintings depicting fantastical airships. Forgotten for more than 40 years after his death, Dellschau’s notebooks eventually caught the attention of the art world. His work is now in the collections of museums including the Menil Collection, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the American Folk Art Museum.

Son of Austrian immigrants who spent his childhood traveling from ranch to ranch with his parents offering on-site leathercraft. He opened his own saddlery in Fort Bend County and relocated to Houston in 1887. Stelzig’s operated until the 1980s, becoming one of the city’s best-known western wear shops.