Texas Originals | Houston Public Media

BILLY LEE BRAMMER (1929–1978) Though Billy Lee Brammer’s novel The Gay Place is a work of fiction, it remains one of the most revealing accounts of Texas politics ever written.Brammer was born in Dallas in 1929.  He earned a degree in journalism from the University of North Texas, then worked as an editor for the Texas Observer before moving to Washington to serve as an aide to then-Senator Lyndon Johnson. “I know a gay place         Nobody knows.”... Read More

Henry B. GonzálezMay 3, 1916–November 28, 2000 Longtime congressman and civil rights pioneer Henry B. González—affectionately known by his constituents as “Henry B.”—was born in San Antonio in 1916.  González’s political career began in the fifties, when he served on the San Antonio City Council and, later, in the Texas Senate. He made his name by speaking out against segregation and fighting rate hikes by public utilities. In 1957, he and fellow Senator Abraham Kazen stopped.....

WALTER PRESCOTT WEBBApril 3, 1888–March 8, 1963 Walter Prescott Webb remains one of Texas’s most significant and influential scholars.Born in 1888, Webb grew up in Stephens County. In 1904, an Atlanta literary magazine published a letter written by a young Webb asking how he could become a writer. Remarkably, a New Yorker named William E. Hinds read the letter and became Webb’s benefactor, sending him books, money, and encouragement. With Hinds’s support, Webb entered the University.....

JAMES L. FARMER JR. (January 12, 1920–July 9, 1999) Civil rights leader James Farmer was born in Marshall, Texas, in 1920. He spent his childhood in Austin but returned to Marshall to attend Wiley College, where he joined the team of “great debaters” coached by legendary teacher Melvin Tolson.Though Farmer had intended become a Methodist minister, Tolson’s influence—and segregation within the church—led him to activism.In 1942, Farmer organized the Congress of Racial Equality in Chicago...

MILDRED DIDRIKSON (BABE) ZAHARAIS June 26, 1911– September 27, 1956 Mildred Didrikson Zaharias, nicknamed “Babe” for her childhood prowess on the baseball diamond, dominated women's sports from the 1930s through the 50s.She was born in 1911 in Port Arthur, Texas, and quickly become known as not just a gifted athlete, but a fierce competitor in every arena she entered.  Though best remembered for her accomplishments in golf and track & field, she also excelled in basketball,.....

AMON G. CARTER December 11, 1879–June 23, 1955People come from around the world to view the collection of American art in Fort Worth’s Amon Carter Museum.  Works by Frederic Remington and Charles Russell, acquired by Carter, form the heart of the collection.  Carter didn’t live to see his grand museum, but he didn’t build it for himself.  He built it for his fellow citizens, especially those in his beloved city of Fort Worth.Carter was born... Read More

MINNIE FISHER CUNNINGHAM (1882–1964)Working as a pharmacist in Huntsville in 1901, young Minnie Fisher Cunningham discovered that her untrained male colleagues made twice her salary.  That unfairness, she later explained, “made a suffragette out of me.” Cunningham soon gave up pharmacy and put her energy and keen sense of justice to work for progressive causes. She helped pass pure milk laws and other public health legislation, but knew that truly to improve society, women must.....

Miriam Amanda Wallace wasn’t considering a career in politics when she enrolled at Baylor Female College in the 1890s.  In 1899, she married James Ferguson and planned to settle down and raise a family.  However, Miriam would make history, becoming the first woman governor of Texas.Jim Ferguson was elected governor in 1914, and re-elected two years later.  During his second term, he was impeached for misapplication of public funds and declared ineligible to hold public... Read More

William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) (1862–1910)   William Sydney Porter — better known by his pen name, O. Henry — was born in North Carolina and died in New York.  But his sixteen years in Texas, from 1882 to 1898, made a lasting mark on his life and work. In Texas, Porter developed an abiding love for the American West.  He worked as a ranch hand, a pharmacist, and a draftsman; edited his own newspaper;... Read More

Oveta Culp Hobby January 19, 1905– August 16, 1995   As a young girl, Oveta Culp Hobby was fascinated by the world of government.  Later in life, she took a leading role in that world.  She was born in Killeen in 1905, the daughter of state legislator Ike Culp. Oveta Culp received her law degree in 1925 from The University of Texas at Austin.  While studying, she served as the state’s legislative parliamentarian.  I n... Read More