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Oil producer Walter B. Sharp (1870–1912) originated the use of drilling mud, which allowed drilling in soft and loose soils. After the Spindletop gusher of 1901, Sharp partnered with Howard Hughes, Sr. in the Sharp-Hughes Tool Company, which produced a revolutionary rock bit still used to drill wells around the world. Walter Sharp’s wife, Estelle Boughton (1873–1965), championed prison reform and woman suffrage and was a longtime benefactor of Rice 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 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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
German immigrant who took over operation of her husband Marcel’s German-language newspaper, Texas Deutsche Zeitung, on his death in 1885. She became one of a few female members of the Texas Press Association and published the paper until she died.
Vermont native and war veteran who was recruited to join the Texas Revolution in 1836. He operated one of the famed “Twin Sisters” cannons in the Battle of San Jacinto and later patrolled South Texas to protect against Mexican invasion. In later life, Benson was elected constable and Harris County coroner.
Dressed as a man, she served in the Union Army during the Civil War as a soldier, nurse, and spy.
Houston Texans founder, Senior Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer who bought professional football back to Houston in 2002. McNair and his charitable foundation gave more than $500 million to support education and medical research throughout his life.
One of Houston’s most generous philanthropists, he gave more than $150 million to local organizations during his lifetime and was known for his passion for ballroom dancing.
Houston-born billionaire, he was legendary for accomplishments in film and aviation. His Hughes Aircraft Company produced some of the world’s most famous airplanes including the Hughes H-4 Hercules, better known as the “Spruce Goose.”
Newspaperman who served as editor of the Houston Post from 1885 to 1919. He is the namesake of Rienzi, the River Oaks home of his grandson, Harris Masterson III.
Early executive with Humble Oil, she was a pioneering woman in Texas business. She advocated for equal rights and published The Woman’s Viewpoint, a magazine dealing with women’s issues, from 1923 to 1927.
Businessman who co-founded the Humble Oil Company (now ExxonMobil) in 1911. He later chaired the state highway commission, owned the Houston Post, launched KPRC radio in 1925 and served as Texas governor from 1931 to 1933.
Houston’s first female physician, she established her practice here in 1871 following her graduation from Woman’s Medical College in Chicago and continued until her death in 1921.
Regarded as one of Houston’s finest 20th-century architects, he was known for his elegant homes in neighborhoods including Broadacres, River Oaks, and Shadyside.
Architect who became one of the most prolific designers in mid-century Houston. His works included the landmark Prudential Building and Foley’s department store, both demolished.
Educator who founded The Kinkaid School in 1904.
Co-founder with son Gus S. Wortham of John L. Wortham & Son, once one of the nation’s largest insurance brokerages.
Engineer who platted the subdivisions of Broadacres and River Oaks and developed plans for Hermann Park and the Texas Medical Center. After laying out the River Oaks subdivision, he was made vice president of the River Oaks Country Club.
Concerned with Houston’s poor, she worked with her brother in law Dr. Judson Taylor to open the Maternal Health Center, the city’s first family planning clinic, in 1936. She and Taylor also partnered to build Houston’s first airport, Carter Field, in 1927 (now Hobby Airport).
Civic leader and political operative who developed an interest in Houston’s underserved communities through volunteer work. She became an advocate for public housing, city planning and racial equality and served as publisher of the Texas Observer, which she helped establish.
Beneficiary of two oil fortunes (those of her father, W.T. Campbell of the Texas Company and husband, R.L. Blaffer of Humble Oil), she amassed a wide-ranging art collection and donated works to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Blaffer Art Museum. Her Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation has introduced Texans to the visual arts since 1964.
Oilman and founder of the Texas Company (later Texaco, now Chevron) in 1901. He went on to chair the committee that raised funds for the national monument at Mount Rushmore.
Lawyer and one of the original trustees of the M.D. Anderson Foundation. He helped direct foundation funding to the University of Texas cancer hospital in Houston (now the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center) and began the foundation’s longstanding support of the Texas Medical Center.
Baptist preacher and second Baptist missionary to the Republic of Texas, he became pastor of First Baptist Church in Houston in 1845. He was instrumental in the founding of Baylor University.
Used a $1 million trust left by her husband Daniel Ripley to support the Houston Settlement Association (now BakerRipley). The Ripley Foundation built Ripley House in the East End in 1940, then Houston’s largest social welfare project.
Served as the last President of the Republic of Texas and known as the “Architect of Annexation.” He was a surgeon during the Battle of San Jacinto. He was Secretery of State under Sam Houston from 1841 to 1844.
Publisher from 1856 to 1869 of the Houston Telegraph, Texas’ early newspaper of record, he was a tireless booster of Houston and encouraged establishment of a suburban garden cemetery like Glenwood.
Egyptian-American investment manager and patron of Houston museums, music, and performing arts. His support also extended to Texas Children’s Hospital and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
Architect sent to Houston to oversee construction of the Rice University campus in 1910, he became first dean of architecture at Rice. His designs include the original portions of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Howard Hughes and S.F. Carter family plots at Glenwood.
Lawyer and legislator who served a 28-day term as the fourth governor of Texas in 1853. His 44-foot obelisk was said to be the largest single stone ever erected in the U.S. when it was placed in 1931.
The only person to have been Texas Secretary of State, Texas Attorney General, and Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.
President of Joe Myers Ford, one of the top volume dealerships in the country. He was active in community service, helping provide medical care for Houston’s disadvantaged children.
Attorney who served on the National Security Council from 1953 to 1960 and served as national security advisor to President Dwight Eisenhower. His hobby writing short stories earned him state and national awards.
Homebuilder and real estate broker who negotiated the land deal for Houston Center, a massive mixed-use downtown development. He chaired the Contemporary Arts Association and was instrumental in construction of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in 1972.
Acclaimed modern architect who designed elegant homes and commercial buildings in postwar Houston. As chair of building committees for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and Alley Theatre, he helped some of the city’s finest contemporary structures take shape.
As first president of Rice University, he shaped the direction and look of the new institution. Lovett served from 1912 to 1946, after which the Rice administration building was named in his honor.
Co-founded Humble Oil Company (now ExxonMobil) in 1911 with Ross S. Sterling and other partners.
A graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas Law School, Lummis practiced law in Houston for 23 years with Andrews Kurth. In 1976, Lummis became the administrator of the Hughes estate and left Houston for Las Vegas, where he assumed the leadership of a variety of Hughes businesses.
Oilman whose estate endowed the Robert A. Welch Foundation, which has donated millions of dollars in support of chemical research and higher education.
Art collector who began building a world-class collection of modern works in the 1950s. She became a major supporter of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, leaving the museum gifts worth more than $450 million. The museum’s original building was named in her honor in 1998.
Oilman who served as president of Humble Oil Company (now ExxonMobil) from 1937 to 1946. Under his leadership, the company developed a streamlined process for manufacturing synthetic rubber, changing the course of World War II.
Legendary TV anchorman, popular host of The Eyes of Texas and football announcer for the Southwest Conference and Houston Oilers. He raised millions of dollars for muscular dystrophy and supported the study of Texas history with documentaries, books, and a charitable foundation.
Attorney who was elected to the Texas Legislature at age 22 and Harris County Judge at 24, he later served as Houston Mayor from 1953 to 1955. His Houston Sports Association brought professional baseball to Houston and built the Astrodome, the world’s first multi-purpose air-conditioned stadium when it opened in 1965.
Longtime leader of international cotton firm Anderson, Clayton & Company. As assistant secretary of state for economic affairs, he toured Europe at the end of World War II and formulated the Marshall Plan to avert global economic disaster. He and his wife, Susan Vaughan, donated their home as the Clayton Center for Genealogical Research and ensured ongoing community support through the Clayton Fund and Susan Vaughan Foundation.
Together with her husband Will Clayton, they donated their home as the Clayton Center for Genealogical Research and ensured ongoing community support through the Clayton Fund and Susan Vaughan Foundation.
Brothers George and Herman Brown co-founded construction and contracting firm Brown & Root in 1914; it grew into one of the largest in the world. In 1951, they established the Brown Foundation, Inc. with their wives Alice and Margarett to support education, health care and the arts in Texas.
Railroad promoter and civil servant he was the son of John R. Harris, founder of Harrisburg and the man for whom Harris County is named. Most notably, he was imprisoned in 1835 by Mexican customs officials at Anahuac, an incident that marked the beginning of open hostilities between the Texans and Mexico.
Architect who became interested in cemetery design in the 1960s and spent the rest of his life studying and documenting cemeteries around the world. He designed his own strikingly modern monument.
Glenwood Cemetery
2525 Washington Avenue
Houston, Texas 77007
P: 713.864.7886
F: 713.864.6429
Cemetery Hours:
7 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday
8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
