William Ellsworth Lee
Encyclopedia
William Ellsworth Lee
, was born in Petroleum, West Virginia
on January 31, 1867. At a very early age, he began working in the oil fields and spent six years with the U. S. Oil Company in West Virginia
, before moving to Ohio
and then following his brother to Saratoga
, Texas
in 1904. He married Margaret McGuigan, a native of Parkersburg, on September 8, 1907, and the couple had six children: William Howard, Irene May, Thomas Peter, Faustine Ellen, and the twins, Donald and Ronald.
After working for ten years with the Producers Oil Company, Bill Lee resigned and joined the Texas Company (Texaco
), which assigned him to the Sour Lake production division. When T. P. Lee left the Texas Company and vacated the position of general superintendent of production, Bill thought that he might be promoted to that spot, but another got the job. Though thoroughly sickened when things did not work out as planned, he stayed with the company only at the insistence of his brother. Meanwhile, he still sought another area of employment, until finally, he got his wish.
With the formation of the Yount-Lee Oil Company
, T. P. Lee gave him a block of stock in the new venture, and this afforded him the opportunity to break away from the oil business. Subsequently, he organized and became president of the Citizens National Bank
of Sour Lake, Texas which became one of the most prominent financial institutions in Hardin County.
Bill Lee’s grandson, T. P. “Tommy” Lee, III, described his grandfather as a large man weighing about three hundred pounds and with a height of about five feet, eleven inches. He was very affectionate toward all family members, but he was closer to T. P. Lee than all the rest. Portrayed as a “man of extreme wealth with country ways,” Bill Lee maintained a vegetable garden, kept various farm animals at his stately Houston home on Montrose Boulevard, and enjoyed spoiling all of his children and grandchildren.
After moving from Sour Lake to Houston, Lee devoted himself to investments. He became a distinguished financier, a member of the River Oaks Country Club
, Houston Club
, Yacht Club
, Mount Olive Lodge No. 3, A. F. and A. M. of Parkersburg, West Virginia
, and the Shrine
and Knights Templar
. Bill Lee lived to be sixty-nine years old, and at the time of his death on October 28, 1936, brought on by bronchial pneumonia, he made his residence at 4218 Montrose Boulevard in Houston. Like his brother, T. P. Lee, Bill is buried at Houston’s Glenwood Cemetery.
in Houston. Purportedly, McCarthy, a close friend of Howard Hughes, inspired the character of Jett Rink found in Edna Ferber’s best-selling novel Giant. Another of Bill Lee’s children, William Howard, married into Hollywood royalty not once but twice: first to actress Hedy Lamarr from December 1953 until the couple divorced in 1960; and then to Gene Tierney in 1960.
Biography
The brother of Thomas Peter LeeThomas Peter Lee
Born on March 19, 1871, in Petroleum, West Virginia to Alexander and Martha Jane Mount Lee, Thomas Peter Lee left school at the age of sixteen and went to work in the oil fields, first in his native state and then in Ohio...
, was born in Petroleum, West Virginia
Petroleum, West Virginia
Petroleum is an unincorporated community in Ritchie County, West Virginia, United States. Its elevation is 699 feet . It has no post office but still has a ZIP code of 26161. The North Bend Rail Trail passes through the community....
on January 31, 1867. At a very early age, he began working in the oil fields and spent six years with the U. S. Oil Company in West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, before moving to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and then following his brother to Saratoga
Saratoga, Texas
Saratoga is an unincorporated community in Hardin County, Texas, United States. It is located thirty-eight miles northwest of Beaumont. The zip code is 77585.Saratoga is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in 1904. He married Margaret McGuigan, a native of Parkersburg, on September 8, 1907, and the couple had six children: William Howard, Irene May, Thomas Peter, Faustine Ellen, and the twins, Donald and Ronald.
After working for ten years with the Producers Oil Company, Bill Lee resigned and joined the Texas Company (Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
), which assigned him to the Sour Lake production division. When T. P. Lee left the Texas Company and vacated the position of general superintendent of production, Bill thought that he might be promoted to that spot, but another got the job. Though thoroughly sickened when things did not work out as planned, he stayed with the company only at the insistence of his brother. Meanwhile, he still sought another area of employment, until finally, he got his wish.
With the formation of the Yount-Lee Oil Company
Yount-Lee Oil Company
The Yount-Lee Oil Company, founded in 1914, was the successor to the Yount-Rothwell Oil Company which had been formed earlier by Miles Franklin Yount and Talbot Frederick Rothwell. Yount headed up the new enterprise and counted among his partners Thomas Peter Lee, William Ellsworth Lee, Emerson...
, T. P. Lee gave him a block of stock in the new venture, and this afforded him the opportunity to break away from the oil business. Subsequently, he organized and became president of the Citizens National Bank
Citizens National Bank
-Banks:* Citizens National Bank , a bank headquartered in Paintsville, Kentucky* Citizens National Bank, founded 1851, acquired by Chemical Bank in 1920-Buildings:...
of Sour Lake, Texas which became one of the most prominent financial institutions in Hardin County.
Bill Lee’s grandson, T. P. “Tommy” Lee, III, described his grandfather as a large man weighing about three hundred pounds and with a height of about five feet, eleven inches. He was very affectionate toward all family members, but he was closer to T. P. Lee than all the rest. Portrayed as a “man of extreme wealth with country ways,” Bill Lee maintained a vegetable garden, kept various farm animals at his stately Houston home on Montrose Boulevard, and enjoyed spoiling all of his children and grandchildren.
After moving from Sour Lake to Houston, Lee devoted himself to investments. He became a distinguished financier, a member of the River Oaks Country Club
River Oaks Country Club
River Oaks Country Club is a country club located in the River Oaks neighborhood of Houston, Texas, United States. The club has hosted the River Oaks International Tennis Tournament since 1931....
, Houston Club
Houston Club
The Houston Club is a private social club located in Houston, Texas. As of October 2011 the club is housed in the 811 Rusk Street building in Downtown Houston. The club members are a part of Houston's business, civic, cultural, and financial communities. Members include business leaders, cultural...
, Yacht Club
Yacht club
A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to sailing and yachting.-Description:Yacht Clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there are some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations...
, Mount Olive Lodge No. 3, A. F. and A. M. of Parkersburg, West Virginia
Parkersburg, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
, and the Shrine
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
and Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
. Bill Lee lived to be sixty-nine years old, and at the time of his death on October 28, 1936, brought on by bronchial pneumonia, he made his residence at 4218 Montrose Boulevard in Houston. Like his brother, T. P. Lee, Bill is buried at Houston’s Glenwood Cemetery.
Legacy
One of Bill’s daughters, Faustine, married Glenn Herbert McCarthy, popularly known as “Diamond Glenn,” a legendary wildcatter who built the world famous Shamrock HotelShamrock Hotel
The Shamrock was a hotel constructed between 1946 and 1949 by wildcatter Glenn McCarthy southwest of downtown Houston, Texas next to the Texas Medical Center. It was the largest hotel built in the United States during the 1940s. The grand opening of the Shamrock is still cited as one of the...
in Houston. Purportedly, McCarthy, a close friend of Howard Hughes, inspired the character of Jett Rink found in Edna Ferber’s best-selling novel Giant. Another of Bill Lee’s children, William Howard, married into Hollywood royalty not once but twice: first to actress Hedy Lamarr from December 1953 until the couple divorced in 1960; and then to Gene Tierney in 1960.