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James A. Clark papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS 277
Finding aid note: Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Contact woodson@rice.edu for access and allow 24 hours retrieval time.

Scope and Contents

Research materials related to the publications and unpublished works of author/historian and public relations consultant James A. Clark. Included are materials related to Three Stars for the Colonel: The Biography of Ernest O. Thompson, The Tactful Texan: A Biography of Governor Will Hobby, Book of Oil, Petroleum Rectifying Company of California, Hughes Tool Co., Pan American Sulfur Company, Robert A. Welch, C.D. Lockwood, Admiral J.J. Clark, and syndicated columns “Petroscope” and “Tales of the Oil Country.” The materials deal directly with the oil industry primarily in the years of 1930-1960s.

Dates

  • 1889 - 1974

Creator

Access Restrictions

This material is open for research. Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish from the James A. Clark Papers must be obtained in writing from Mrs. James A. Clark and may be arranged through Woodson Research Center.

Biographical Note

James Anthony Clark (1908-1978), author, columnist, and public-relations consultant and historian of the oil industry, was born in Abita Springs, LA, and grew up in Beaumont, TX. He attended South Park Junior College (Lamar University) and worked for Magnolia Petroleum Company, the Galveston News, and the Beaumont Journal. In 1935 he was appointed statehouse correspondent in Austin, and from 1941 to 1946 he served as intelligence officer in Puerto Rico, the Pacific and Japan. He left the army as a lieutenant colonel and became public relations manager for the Shamrock Hotel in Houston. He established the James A. Clark Company, a public-relations consulting firm, after the publication of his first book, Spindletop, co-authored with Michel T. Halbouty. He was well known for his Houston Post column, ”Tales of the Oil Country,” and published Three Stars for the Colonel: The Biography of Ernest O. Thompson, The Tactful Texan: A Biography of Governor Will Hobby, among others. He was married to Estelle Walton in 1934; in 1969 he established the Energy Research and Education Foundation in Houston; he died in 1978 in Houston.

Excerpted from The New Handbook of Texas, 1996.

Extent

11 Linear Feet (11 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract:

Research materials related to the publications and unpublished works of author/historian and public relations consultant James A. Clark. Included are materials related to Three Stars for the Colonel: The Biography of Ernest O. Thompson, The Tactful Texan: A Biography of Governor Will Hobby, Book of Oil, Petroleum Rectifying Company of California, Hughes Tool Co., Pan American Sulfur Company, Robert A. Welch, C.D. Lockwood, Admiral J.J. Clark, and syndicated columns “Petroscope” and “Tales of the Oil Country.” The materials deal directly with the oil industry primarily in the years of 1930-1960s.

Arrangement note

The papers are arranged in two series, Series I: Research/Publications and Series II: Speeches/Addresses. Series I includes research materials and photographs for numerous publications, and are grouped according to the publication. Series II includes drafts and published versions of delivered speeches arranged chronologically.

Missing Title

  1. Series I: Research/Publications
  2. Series II: Speeches/Addresses

Acquisition Information

Donated by Mrs. James A. Clark, May 4, 1979.

Subjects

Record Groups

Related Names

Creator

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the James A. Clark Papers, 1889-1974
Status
Completed
Author
Lee Pecht
Date
2004
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

https://library.rice.edu/woodson
Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA

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Harmful Content Statement
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Fondren Library, Rice University
Physical Address: 6100 Main, Houston, Texas 77005-1827
Mailing Address: MS-44, P.O. Box 1892, Houston, Texas 77251-1892