The "great wildcatter"

[J Cullen]

Richardson and Murchison both were independent oilmen who supported FDR and
Truman (but probably hedged their bets with Truman), then supported
Eisenhower and played both sides of the street thereafter. (Murchison was
founding owner of the Dallas Cowboys, by the way.) According to Ronnie
Dugger in "The Politician: The Life and Times of Lyndon Johnson,"
Richardson was a big fundraiser for FDR and backed son Elliott Roosevelt to
run the radio stations of the Texas State Network in the 1930s. In Texas
politics Richardson and Murchison supported conservative Democrats such as
Lyndon Johnson, John Connally and Lloyd Bentsen and later Republicans after
they became electable in Texas after John Tower's upset victory to the
Senate in 1961. Most of the Richardson fortune went to the Bass Brothers of
Fort Worth, who similarly play both sides of the street.

-- Jim Cullen


>Dear Doug and the LBOers,
>
>In Thomas Ferguson's book there are a few pages dealing with the
>political realignment of big money prior to the 1936 presidential
>election.  One group that Ferguson mentions are the big independents in
>the oil patch: Sid Richardson, Clint Murchison and M.L. Benedum of
>Benedum-Trees.
>
>I don't know anything about the politics of  Sid Richardson or Clint
>Murchison.  I do know about the politics of Mike Benedum, which to put
>it mildly were liberal labor democratic somewhere to the left of FDR.
>God only knows how much money Mike put into democratic politics during
>his career.  I really get a kick out of pictures I have seen of Mike
>looking throughly pleased having his picture taken with John L. Lewis
>and Phil Murray or riding in an open car with FDR sitting beside him
>during a campaign in the 30's.  Interestingly enough in this picture
>future Pennsylvania governor and Mellon family boot-licker Davy Lawrence
>is crammed into a rumble seat and that is noted on the picture.
>
>Today Mike's money still exists in the form of the Benedum foundation an
>educational and charitable trust. They do nice stuff sort of like the
>Mellons.  A dear old friend of mine the late HAH III put it this way
>about the Benedum Foundation.  Mike may have tried to control things
>from beyond the grave; no one has been successful at that.
>
>If you ever want some light reading try The Great Wildcatter by Sam
>Mallison; available at fine used book stores everywhere.
>
>I am curious about the politics of Sid Richardson and Clint Murchison,
>anyone know anything about them?
>
>Sincerely,
>Tom Lehman

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