"Pete Coffield's father, who had been in wholesale meat business, died when Pete was nine, leaving a widow and six children. The family lived in poverty and Pete helped out by selling newspapers. When he was thirteen he purchased a two-wheeled cart and a donkey and worked for a laundry service, picking up and delivering clothes. Following graduation from Rockdale High School he attended Baylor University, and earned money by operating his own laundry business.
"After completing his second year, he left the university to help fight World War I by joining the Naval Air Corps. By the time his training was completed and he had earned his wings, the Armistice had been signed, and following his discharge in 1919, Coffield returned to Rockdale. He never lost his affection for airplanes, and later owned several and used them to travel between his various homes and properties as well as when he performed his service to the Prison Board.
"He made his first fortune by selling military surplus materials. The government was eager to divest itself of these items, so he purchased pants, shirts, coats, underwear, sheets, and blankets by the train carload at low prices. Then, using three surplus military trucks, he crisscrossed the state selling the surplus items at auctions. His auctions were popular and often attracted 2,000 to 3,000 people. One of his most successful ventures was buying ten railroad box cars full of horse harnesses at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and shipping them to Texas. Because they were a different type of harness than those preferred by Texas farmers, he hired leather craftsmen to adapt them. He continued this business for about five years during which time he averaged two to three hours of sleep a night.
"He invested his army surplus profits in oil leases when the Rockdale-Minerva oil field was discovered. Unable to finance the actual exploration, drilling, and extraction, he sold part interest in his leases to someone who could bankroll the entire operation. The leases proved profitable, and during the 1930s, when the country was enduring the Great Depression, Coffield was prospering. In the late 1930s he diversified and invested in cattle ranching, industrial enterprises, and Houston real estate. At the time he was appointed to the Prison Board in 1949, his estate was valued at $50 million. As an active member and treasurer of the Texas Democratic Party, he was a delegate to the tumultuous 1968 convention in Chicago, and for a time was considered second only to Lyndon Johnson when it came to political power in Texas.
"In spite of his wealth and success, he continued to live a simple life and retained his modest two-story home in Rockdale. He also retained his humble, gracious demeanor and his quick, keen wit. At the same time, however, he knew how to live the good life and derived great pleasure from entertaining his friends in an opulent style. One of the holdings he acquired in the 1940s was the Diamond H Ranch, 13,500 acres near Catarina, on the upper Rio Grande Valley in Dimmit County. Here was a complex comprising a hunting lodge of ten rooms and ten baths, a swimming pool, and an airfield with hangars, where he could entertain his friends and engage in hunting deer, quail, and javelina. For something closer to home, he owned a mansion on Lake Travis, which earlier had been the Austin Yacht Club. Coffield's frequent guests included members of the Texas Senate, the justices of the Texas Supreme Court, influential politicians, and Dallas bankers.
"Later in life he suffered from Parkinson's disease and died in 1979. He had married Marjorie Prewitt of Rockdale, and the couple had had a son, but both preceded him in death. With no immediate family, he left his fortune to the Boy Scouts of America, the Salvation Army, and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. . . . "
Excerpted from Walking George: The Life of George John Beto and the Rise of the Modern Texas Prison System (Google eBook) by David M. Horton, George R. Nielsen, University of North Texas Press, Aug 17, 2005
. . . . . . . . . .
"After completing his second year, he left the university to help fight World War I by joining the Naval Air Corps. By the time his training was completed and he had earned his wings, the Armistice had been signed, and following his discharge in 1919, Coffield returned to Rockdale. He never lost his affection for airplanes, and later owned several and used them to travel between his various homes and properties as well as when he performed his service to the Prison Board.
"He made his first fortune by selling military surplus materials. The government was eager to divest itself of these items, so he purchased pants, shirts, coats, underwear, sheets, and blankets by the train carload at low prices. Then, using three surplus military trucks, he crisscrossed the state selling the surplus items at auctions. His auctions were popular and often attracted 2,000 to 3,000 people. One of his most successful ventures was buying ten railroad box cars full of horse harnesses at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and shipping them to Texas. Because they were a different type of harness than those preferred by Texas farmers, he hired leather craftsmen to adapt them. He continued this business for about five years during which time he averaged two to three hours of sleep a night.
"He invested his army surplus profits in oil leases when the Rockdale-Minerva oil field was discovered. Unable to finance the actual exploration, drilling, and extraction, he sold part interest in his leases to someone who could bankroll the entire operation. The leases proved profitable, and during the 1930s, when the country was enduring the Great Depression, Coffield was prospering. In the late 1930s he diversified and invested in cattle ranching, industrial enterprises, and Houston real estate. At the time he was appointed to the Prison Board in 1949, his estate was valued at $50 million. As an active member and treasurer of the Texas Democratic Party, he was a delegate to the tumultuous 1968 convention in Chicago, and for a time was considered second only to Lyndon Johnson when it came to political power in Texas.
"In spite of his wealth and success, he continued to live a simple life and retained his modest two-story home in Rockdale. He also retained his humble, gracious demeanor and his quick, keen wit. At the same time, however, he knew how to live the good life and derived great pleasure from entertaining his friends in an opulent style. One of the holdings he acquired in the 1940s was the Diamond H Ranch, 13,500 acres near Catarina, on the upper Rio Grande Valley in Dimmit County. Here was a complex comprising a hunting lodge of ten rooms and ten baths, a swimming pool, and an airfield with hangars, where he could entertain his friends and engage in hunting deer, quail, and javelina. For something closer to home, he owned a mansion on Lake Travis, which earlier had been the Austin Yacht Club. Coffield's frequent guests included members of the Texas Senate, the justices of the Texas Supreme Court, influential politicians, and Dallas bankers.
"Later in life he suffered from Parkinson's disease and died in 1979. He had married Marjorie Prewitt of Rockdale, and the couple had had a son, but both preceded him in death. With no immediate family, he left his fortune to the Boy Scouts of America, the Salvation Army, and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. . . . "
Excerpted from Walking George: The Life of George John Beto and the Rise of the Modern Texas Prison System (Google eBook) by David M. Horton, George R. Nielsen, University of North Texas Press, Aug 17, 2005
. . . . . . . . . .
"Pete Coffield's father, who had been in wholesale meat business, died when Pete was nine, leaving a widow and six children. The family lived in poverty and Pete helped out by selling newspapers. When he was thirteen he purchased a two-wheeled cart and a donkey and worked for a laundry service, picking up and delivering clothes. Following graduation from Rockdale High School he attended Baylor University, and earned money by operating his own laundry business.
"After completing his second year, he left the university to help fight World War I by joining the Naval Air Corps. By the time his training was completed and he had earned his wings, the Armistice had been signed, and following his discharge in 1919, Coffield returned to Rockdale. He never lost his affection for airplanes, and later owned several and used them to travel between his various homes and properties as well as when he performed his service to the Prison Board.
"He made his first fortune by selling military surplus materials. The government was eager to divest itself of these items, so he purchased pants, shirts, coats, underwear, sheets, and blankets by the train carload at low prices. Then, using three surplus military trucks, he crisscrossed the state selling the surplus items at auctions. His auctions were popular and often attracted 2,000 to 3,000 people. One of his most successful ventures was buying ten railroad box cars full of horse harnesses at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and shipping them to Texas. Because they were a different type of harness than those preferred by Texas farmers, he hired leather craftsmen to adapt them. He continued this business for about five years during which time he averaged two to three hours of sleep a night.
"He invested his army surplus profits in oil leases when the Rockdale-Minerva oil field was discovered. Unable to finance the actual exploration, drilling, and extraction, he sold part interest in his leases to someone who could bankroll the entire operation. The leases proved profitable, and during the 1930s, when the country was enduring the Great Depression, Coffield was prospering. In the late 1930s he diversified and invested in cattle ranching, industrial enterprises, and Houston real estate. At the time he was appointed to the Prison Board in 1949, his estate was valued at $50 million. As an active member and treasurer of the Texas Democratic Party, he was a delegate to the tumultuous 1968 convention in Chicago, and for a time was considered second only to Lyndon Johnson when it came to political power in Texas.
"In spite of his wealth and success, he continued to live a simple life and retained his modest two-story home in Rockdale. He also retained his humble, gracious demeanor and his quick, keen wit. At the same time, however, he knew how to live the good life and derived great pleasure from entertaining his friends in an opulent style. One of the holdings he acquired in the 1940s was the Diamond H Ranch, 13,500 acres near Catarina, on the upper Rio Grande Valley in Dimmit County. Here was a complex comprising a hunting lodge of ten rooms and ten baths, a swimming pool, and an airfield with hangars, where he could entertain his friends and engage in hunting deer, quail, and javelina. For something closer to home, he owned a mansion on Lake Travis, which earlier had been the Austin Yacht Club. Coffield's frequent guests included members of the Texas Senate, the justices of the Texas Supreme Court, influential politicians, and Dallas bankers.
"Later in life he suffered from Parkinson's disease and died in 1979. He had married Marjorie Prewitt of Rockdale, and the couple had had a son, but both preceded him in death. With no immediate family, he left his fortune to the Boy Scouts of America, the Salvation Army, and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. . . . "
Excerpted from Walking George: The Life of George John Beto and the Rise of the Modern Texas Prison System (Google eBook) by David M. Horton, George R. Nielsen, University of North Texas Press, Aug 17, 2005
. . . . . . . . . .
"After completing his second year, he left the university to help fight World War I by joining the Naval Air Corps. By the time his training was completed and he had earned his wings, the Armistice had been signed, and following his discharge in 1919, Coffield returned to Rockdale. He never lost his affection for airplanes, and later owned several and used them to travel between his various homes and properties as well as when he performed his service to the Prison Board.
"He made his first fortune by selling military surplus materials. The government was eager to divest itself of these items, so he purchased pants, shirts, coats, underwear, sheets, and blankets by the train carload at low prices. Then, using three surplus military trucks, he crisscrossed the state selling the surplus items at auctions. His auctions were popular and often attracted 2,000 to 3,000 people. One of his most successful ventures was buying ten railroad box cars full of horse harnesses at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and shipping them to Texas. Because they were a different type of harness than those preferred by Texas farmers, he hired leather craftsmen to adapt them. He continued this business for about five years during which time he averaged two to three hours of sleep a night.
"He invested his army surplus profits in oil leases when the Rockdale-Minerva oil field was discovered. Unable to finance the actual exploration, drilling, and extraction, he sold part interest in his leases to someone who could bankroll the entire operation. The leases proved profitable, and during the 1930s, when the country was enduring the Great Depression, Coffield was prospering. In the late 1930s he diversified and invested in cattle ranching, industrial enterprises, and Houston real estate. At the time he was appointed to the Prison Board in 1949, his estate was valued at $50 million. As an active member and treasurer of the Texas Democratic Party, he was a delegate to the tumultuous 1968 convention in Chicago, and for a time was considered second only to Lyndon Johnson when it came to political power in Texas.
"In spite of his wealth and success, he continued to live a simple life and retained his modest two-story home in Rockdale. He also retained his humble, gracious demeanor and his quick, keen wit. At the same time, however, he knew how to live the good life and derived great pleasure from entertaining his friends in an opulent style. One of the holdings he acquired in the 1940s was the Diamond H Ranch, 13,500 acres near Catarina, on the upper Rio Grande Valley in Dimmit County. Here was a complex comprising a hunting lodge of ten rooms and ten baths, a swimming pool, and an airfield with hangars, where he could entertain his friends and engage in hunting deer, quail, and javelina. For something closer to home, he owned a mansion on Lake Travis, which earlier had been the Austin Yacht Club. Coffield's frequent guests included members of the Texas Senate, the justices of the Texas Supreme Court, influential politicians, and Dallas bankers.
"Later in life he suffered from Parkinson's disease and died in 1979. He had married Marjorie Prewitt of Rockdale, and the couple had had a son, but both preceded him in death. With no immediate family, he left his fortune to the Boy Scouts of America, the Salvation Army, and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. . . . "
Excerpted from Walking George: The Life of George John Beto and the Rise of the Modern Texas Prison System (Google eBook) by David M. Horton, George R. Nielsen, University of North Texas Press, Aug 17, 2005
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