Richardson, who would never marry, had lost several small fortunes trying to drill his way to a large one. Although Hall never met Lupe, she became much more than just a client. . Convention, at which John F. Kennedy was elected as presidential candidate with Selling millions in art during a down market would not be easy. "And he said 'well they just shot that S.O.B'". As the court and both houses of Congress expressed outrage, a headline in the Washington Post carried sympathetic news from the Texas Hill Country: Texas Supporter of Court Change Appears Elected.. Sixty-foot hallways lead into room after room, crammed with all manner of stuff: antique furniture, porcelain, china, leaded glass, crystal, jewelry, silverware, gilt mirrors, lamps, oriental carpets, pottery, paintings, Flemish tapestries and, in the carport, a 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow with ''78,000 miles showing.''. business tycoon with close links to the Genovese mafia, on November. A three-story mansion in San Antonio's Monte Vista Historic District once owned by powerful oilman Clint Murchison has hit the market for $1.5 million. Those present at the event included J. Edgar Hoover, John Murchison's wife Lupe did not want the house because it was designed in the very gawdy style of the Texas oil baron, ie in poor taste. Burrough chronicles the rise and fall of Clint Murchison Jr., from his pinnacle as owner of the Dallas Cowboys to the collapse of his empire in bankruptcy. "I said my God what has happened Lou?" One woman, however, took a quick tour and departed. The man who controlled the spigot to this pipeline of cash was Lyndon Johnson. United States was.at that time in my life I thought they were untouchable," The only way to get Roosevelt out of the low-sitting boat and into his wheelchair was to bring it alongside the chute used to load and unload livestock. Still, he sold both daughters a few pieces. If they had the gall to blow the President's head off in broad daylight with Hall spent the first month just trying to figure out what was in the collection. in 1960 - when H.L. The 26-acre estate, completed in 1963, is said to be on the block for about $10 million. The two brothers, John and Clint Jr., formed the Murchison Brothers Company and over the next several years gained tremendous success in oil, real estate and other businesses. A gallery-like veranda ran along the perimeter. Clint Murchison immediately called a meeting. It`s romance; romance is a big part of the auction. Before her death on June 22 2002, prolific author and lecturer Robert Gaylon Following the death of T.F. 1898, d. 1926). In any kind of sea, the presidential yacht was likely to turn turtle., The term yacht was a slight misnomer. But the Cowboys owner you rarely heard from was the original owner, Clint. Many, of course, came just to look. Clint W. Murchison, Sr. was born April 11, 1895, in Tyler to John W. and Clara (Williams) Murchison. The case of Zackary Filip, once named Soldier of the Year, illustrates the clash of military and medical cultures within Warrior Transition Units. (The property had been heavily protected by armed guards since 1981, when Lupe was robbed at gunpoint and held in the trunk of her car in her garage.). to arrange call girls, drugs, gambling fixes and even contract killings. Clint Murchison was the top business leader and behind the scenes political leader in Dallas in the 1963 era. In addition, he used the following sources: Log of the Cruise of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Gulf of Mexico, FDR Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, N.Y.; Archival film of Franklin Roosevelts visit to Port Aransas. other people connected to the events in Dealy Plaza, Brown felt that she was Instead of attending college he worked in his father's bank. The well-established Karen Mitchell Frank Gallery closed in April. Lupe wanted her friends to be next in line to buy the art. "When they met in California Joe Kennedy, John Kennedy's father, and H.L. Clyde Tolson, John J. McCloy, Jack Ruby, George Brown (of Brown and Root), numerous Clint Murchison Jr.: $1.4 billion inheritance Clint Murchison Jr. was bequeathed a bumper $200 million when his oil tycoon father died in 1969. (G.J. President, Id like to present our new congressman. Roosevelt smiled and gave Johnson an extended handshake as cameras clicked. The name was his pugnacious reaction to proration laws that set limits on how much oil could be produced from wells in the East Texas field. Though still sturdy at its core, the house is an imposing study in decomposition a poignant reminder that sic transit gloria mundi: Thus passes the glory of the world. (Port Aransas Preservation and Historical Association). . about two years prior to the assassination of John Kennedy.". the early 80's, to this day her shocking revelations about how he had told her 1930s residence designed by local architect Anton Korn. Florence Art Gallery, in business for 30 years, closed in June. Clint W. Murchison Sr. and Sid W. Richardson spent their boyhood years together in Athens and remained very close friends until the end of Richardson's life in 1959. Once the residence of Dallas oilman Clint Murchison and Toddie Lee Wynne, the abandoned 13,000-foot-square mansion on Matagorda Island is now home to rattlesnakes and barn owls. and I looked up.he had this motorcade route.it of criminals from carrying out 9/11? "They all went in to this conference room..Lyndon didn't stay that No spam, ever. On the train, Roosevelt wrote down the number of his political fixer Thomas Corcoran, a.k.a. Eileen Ray and Clemence Rawley were among the first of 700 who ponied up $8 for a catalog of the 1,500 items to be auctioned on successive weekends and for the voyeuristic thrill of poking around the sprawling home. She lives in the neighborhood. They spent their lives as bachelors, living together, sharing a bedroom in their 54-room mansion. Kennedy was particularly upset that Hunt, who had . "And he said 'well they just shot that S.O.B'" said Brown. The chance encounter would change both of their lives. They would, however, get first refusal. programs before the assassination, were mysteriously set-up in homosexual scandals 21st 1963, the night before the assassination. Everything fell apart for Mr. Murchison, whose mere signature used to be enough to borrow tens of millions. Still in need of cash, Murchison sold everything else--for something less than $500,000--to Dallas auctioneer S. Norman Garrett. Besides the sheer size of it, there was the matter of timing. Duncan Brown and from that lengthy discussion the truth about exactly who was "They had this lodge.outside of Dallas and they would meet there.he In May 1937, the 165-foot presidential yacht, the USS Potomac, anchored in the bay behind the two islands while FDR and Elliott spent eight days fishing the waters of South Texas. "Had the assassination not happened the day that it did, Lyndon Fish . Once Hall had his arms around the collection, the first wave of buyers came through. The owners were afforded a limited lease (1942) and continued full use and enjoyment of their property, which sold in the 1980's through The Nature Conservancy to the U.S. Clint Senior, the one LBJ knew, lived 80 miles away from John near Athens, Texas. I guess when the dollars ran out, so did the caretaker.''. behind the assassination of JFK was exposed. And it was at the Murchison mansion, just before Kennedy's trip to Dallas in 1963, where the fate of both LBJ and JFK would eventually be decided. Carlos Don Stultz convicted in two murders signed confessions but now insists hes innocent. Yet they were not entirely unknown to Roosevelt. A son of Clint Murchison, Sr. who made his first fortune in oil exploration and became notorious for exploiting the sale of "hot oil" (see Hot Oil case for explanation of this term), Junior and his . "When they met in California Joe Kennedy, John Kennedy's father, and H.L. When he. "They had this lodge.outside of Dallas and they would meet there.he Of course, I knew who Lupe Murchison was, but she couldnt have picked me out of a police lineup, says 57-year-old Hall, who previously owned Hall Galleries in Dallas. Three weeks before election day, checks rained down on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from Clint Murchison, Sid Richardson, Perry Bass and their friends. 7 BEDROOMS 7 BATHROOMS 2 HALF-BATH 18,600 SQ. straight from the horse's mouth. Aikman's last purchase was an 11,000-square-foot Mount Vernon manse built by Tatum Brown on Normandy that is just incredible inside and out, with beautiful landscaping by Harold Leidner. (G.J. And when Lupe died in July 2001, at age 75, everything stood ready for the auction block. Everyone in Dallas wants to see this house.''. Clint Murchison in 1933 began a series of purchases of the lower nine miles of Matagorda Island, where he built a ranch and a sprawling home. The Screens kept out the mosquitoes yet allowed the sea breeze to waft through the one-story mansion. In an appearance on the television program A Current Affair, Brown asserted that on November 21, 1963 the night before the assassination of President . Everybody knew that Sid was a billionaire, recalled Murchisons widow, Virginia Murchison Linthicum. or found dead having allegedly shot themselves five times in the head. And there, he invited him to continue on to Fort Worth, where Roosevelt was attending a barbecue at Ruth and Elliotts Benbrook ranch with Sid Richardson and Clint Murchison. The president came ashore exactly once. The massive East Texas Oil Field had been discovered in 1930. The Murchison Mansion "My God, they are going to kill us all" The National Archives. shocked to witness the arrival of Lyndon Johnson who had traveled from Houston. much in the meeting and when he came out.he grabbed me by the arm and he the world's media watching over 40 years ago - what would stop the same lineage Two isolated islands off the coast of South Texas became unlikely centers of power and influence after they were purchased by two of the richest men in the country. A town house project in Washington flopped, as did condominiums in Richmond and Palm. When Johnson was elected, the president serendipitously announced a fishing trip to Port Aransas. Wallace was convicted for the October 22, 1951 murder of John Kinser. Howard Nemerov. Johnson would have probably gone to prison - they would have gotten rid of him If they wanted any of it, they would have to buy it from her estate. 4-door Convertible with Jump Seats Limousine Bubble Top. I never even got to first base with her in trying to sell her anything. But luck had it that Hall knew the managers of Lupes estate (two lawyers, two CPAs, and a banker), not one of whom knew a thing about art. ''It`s too sad,'' she said. 3. She was flatly rejected. would go as the vice president.this came from the horse's mouth way back Brown said that on the evening of November 21, 1963 the night before the assassination she went to a party near Dallas at one of Clint Murchison's houses. His . Johnson as his running mate, where H.L. It was the other brother, John, who lived in the big house in north Dallas. Clinton Williams "Clint" Murchison Sr. (April 11, 1895 - June 20, 1969) [1] was a noted Texas -based oil magnate and political operative. President Roosevelt reels in a 77-pound tarpon as fishing guide Barney Farley (right) and Roosevelts son Elliott (black shirt) haul the fish aboard. before the assassination. He was intensely interested in the details of your campaign. The group met for a party in Dallas hosted by Clint Murchison, another. For the next 50 years, the grass-covered sandbars occupied a rarefied space at or near the epicenter of American power. Architectural Digest may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. ''I`ve been in my house 18 years, and I`ve replaced the carpet three times.''. Latest Headlines Odd News . At the start of his second term, Roosevelt infused the two islands with the lifeblood of Washington, D.C. clout. Suite 2100 Brown. "We were playing poker at the Carousel Club and Jack Ruby came over and Hall has now taken hundreds of buyers through the two houses and sold 80 percent of the value of the collection. New Orleans, Louisiana. Hunt J. Edgar Hoover Richard Nixon Lyndon B. Johnson At the home of Clint Murchison, the Texas oil tycoon.. Murchison owned J. Edgar Hoover, Lyndon B. Johnson, and State of Texas law enforcement and stood to lose a fortune if Kennedy changed the oil depletion allowance and faced the . said Brown. Jul 8, 2022 2:13 PM EDT FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys cornerback Everson Walls and linebacker Chuck Howley, as well as the late Dan Reeves and franchise founder Clint Murchison Jr., are among 54. Read now, Video Editors: David Guzman and Alan Peppard. Murchison was probably in the top five. Johnson as his running mate, where H.L. The party began to wind down at around 11 o' clock when the attendees were Photography by Allie Beth Allman & Associates/Christies International Real Estate. Well count down the biggest leases and sales in our Real Estate Annual. The group met for a party in Dallas hosted by Clint Murchison, another business On the opposite bank, under the deep salt grass, Matagorda begins. On one of the yachts was President Franklin Roosevelt. It was a warm South Texas day and most members of the party kept wide-brimmed hats on their heads. Clint Murchison Sr.'s Big House . the conference to tell his mistress Madeleine Duncan Brown that "those had been shot and immediately thought to call Lou Sterrett , who was an Austin The views expressed herein are the writers' own and do not necessarily reflect those of Looking Glass News. rolling oil tycoons, judges and then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Roosevelt exploded: What in the world Sid, do you mean youre going to roll me down that bull chute?, Why, Mr. President, Sid said with a smile, youre the biggest bull that ever went down that chute.. He had received a list of oilmen who had contributed to the Democratic National Committee in 1935. Clint Murchison in 1933 began a series of purchases of the lower nine miles of Matagorda Island, where he built a ranch and a sprawling home. His own vice president, Texan John Nance Garner, thought the court-packing plan was a rancid proposal. of criminals from carrying out 9/11? - he was so involved with some of this," said Brown. Hes working in metal from cardboard models that he made after his wife Deborah died of colon cancer in November 2000. And it was at the Murchison mansion, just before Kennedy's trip to Dallas in 1963, where the fate of both LBJ and JFK would eventually be decided. November 21, 1963. The mansion was built in 2005 and boasts 6-bedrooms, 11-bathrooms, and an elevator. As the Saltaire pulled slowly away, the president maneuvered in on its stern and followed several miles to the San Jose dock. To the south is Port Aransas, a postcard beach town where fishing yachts and sailboats mingle in the harbor. Clint Murchison refused to fire coach Tom Landry after a rocky start and gave him . assassination are often ignored by the media who prefer to keep the debate focused What he found was his second wife, Ruth, and rich locals like Richardson and Amon Carter eager to help out the son of the president. Murchison could monitor virtually every room through remote cameras and microphones. This is hardly the best of times to be in the art business, as the formerly rich try to unload paintings to pay their utility bills. from 1909 to 1913, died March 8, 1930. The answer to all of your questions that, on the night before, which amounted to a coven of witches and, (somewhat reminiscent of the climax of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short. Johnson hatched the assassination plot. Presidents and senators explored the beaches and basked in the enormous fortunes of their hosts Clint Murchison Sr. of Dallas and his lifetime best friend, Sid Richardson of Fort Worth. Even with Halls credentials, though, selling the Murchison collection would be a difficult job. or found dead having allegedly shot themselves five times in the head. made the remark, 'we may have lost a battle but we're going to win a war,' and Murchisons houseman Jewel Phifer noted that Richardson talked a lot and he would say anything to anybody. Still, she made a last-ditch effort to do something to help the museum. One minute hes roping cattle, and the next hes calling a dealer in Paris or London to get a million-dollar painting shipped over for a client to look at, says Dallas art dealer David Dike. Click the disclaimer link below for more information. After Wynne took control of American Liberty from his partner Clint Murchison, he relocated its headquarters to a rambling Mediterranean house overlooking Turtle Creek. They treated her very badly, says Rick Brettell, a former director of the DMA. media mogul. The New Frontier. This love-hate conflict with the Kennedy administration was especially felt by one wealthy, big-oil man named Clint Murchison. Clint W. Jr. & John D Murchison Credit: The Denver Post Dallas Women Visit National Jewish Mrs. Ben K. Miller, left, president of the Denver Women's Committee of National Jewish Hospital, welcomes Mrs.. . Today, under the eaves of the main house, white paint stubbornly clings in the shadows. Clint Murchison, Sr. Then there was also the problem of the client: he had never met her, nor was he likely to. stung me that he would be this involved in knowing where the President of the Brown described Ruby as the "in man" in Texas who could be trusted This first installment of a three-part series examines President Franklin Roosevelts 1937 visit that would affect the lives of future island guests Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson. off to have a haircut. and it's the biggest JFK smoking gun there is - despite the fact that it has Convention, at which John F. Kennedy was elected as presidential candidate with Hall recalls an exchange with one high-profile oilman: This friend calls and says, Im interested in Ken Nolands Montana Sun. I told him the price, and he shouts into the phone, Well, goddamn, I gave it to them, and I only paid $500 for it. And I said, Well, were selling it for $100,000. And he shouts, Hell, good luck! A Lake Tahoe collector paid the full asking price. For more than two decades, since Johns death in 1979, Lucilleor Lupe, as she was knownhad been the matriarch of the legendary family whose oil fortune was made by her father-in-law, Clint Murchison Sr., and multiplied by his two sons, John and Clint Jr. Just as Clint Jr. became famous as owner of the Dallas Cowboys, so the art collection gave John and Lupe enormous cachet among the international rich, setting them apart from the rough-and-tumble Texas oil crowd of their day, most of whom did not collect art of any kind. The home has seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms and two half-bathrooms and has been renovated,. It did not go unnoticed that the land seizure stopped at Clint Murchisons fence line. "It was a total political crime and H.L. ), The USS Potomac anchored in the bay behind Matagorda and San Jose islands while President Franklin Roosevelt spent eight days fishing. He built a mansion in Houston during the Depression and justified it as a civil enterprise, bringing jobs to hundreds of . Clint W. Murchison Jr., the scion of a Texas wildcat oil family who created the Dallas Cowboys football team, died Monday night. Johnson hatched the assassination plot. By the mid-1950s, Dwight Eisenhower and his affluent inner circle believed that their friend Sid Richardson was the wealthiest man in the country. Oil Company) land was not condemned and taken. Soaring tray ceilings, floors of harlequin marble, and expansive public spaces make the home ideal for elegant entertaining, while well-appointed private quartersincluding a master suite, study, and media roomlend the spacious dwelling a sense of warmth and comfort. the conference to tell his mistress Madeleine Duncan Brown that "those Ross had the opportunity to conduct an 80 minute sit-down interview with Madeleine chose different people to do certain things for him and I'm sure it went on Now I like this boy and youre going to help him with anything you can.. the patsy Lee Harvey Oswald dead on November 24. A reflecting pool leads up to the main residence. Go to Original Article >>>. He would go on to acquire a NFL franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, which he owned for many years before his son Clint Jr. lost most of his holdings. But the names of the men getting rich from it would remain virtually unknown to most Americans for many years. 1. So why was LBJ on the JFK ticket? happened to John Kennedy - he and Lyndon Johnson," said Brown. in 1960 - when H.L. While selling the collection, Hall could live in Lupes $7.5 million contemporary home in Addison, on 12 acres of rolling lawn, dotted with dinosaur-sized sculptures, bound by wooded creeks. He began the Texas trip on a typically upbeat note, saying, I havent a care in the world, which is some going for a president who is said by newspapers to be a remorseless dictator driving his country into hopeless bankruptcy.. JFK Theory: Texas Oil Men. The Dallas art market has never been anything to hoot and holler about, says Brian Roughton, who sells 19th- and 20th-century traditional American paintings. The unguided tour of the house last Thursday and Friday was the event of the week, surpassing even the scheduled auction that occurred over the weekend. Richardson would bring in 80 wells in the field, leading Murchison to pay him the ultimate geological compliment: Sids really got the rocks.. The bedrooms, done in excellent simplicity, were deluxe, noted Roosevelts aide, Gen. Edwin Pa Watson, offering every comfort.. President Roosevelt (left) shakes hands with newly elected congressman Lyndon B. Johnson (right) as Gov. After lunch at the Murchison house, Roosevelt returned the hospitality with a dinner in the salon of the Potomac for Richardson, Murchison and Wynne. Copyright 2023, D Magazine Partners, Inc. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. One feature that most of the potential bidders didn`t see was the elaborate audio-video security-lighting-drapery system that Murchison had installed. to perhaps the biggest smoking gun proving that the assassination of JFK was When they visited, Hall found himself in a very awkward position, and not just because they saw his cowboy boots and Armani suits in their mothers closets and his toiletries in her 600-square-foot bathroom. But beyond that, Clint Murchison Sr. was not even living in that house those days, but in his . It's a story that simply hasn't got enough attention, besides a 2003 book written Mr. In 1937, Franklin Roosevelt began his second term with a rare political miscalculation. A headline in the National Petroleum News noted, Roosevelts Hosts Company in Texas Fined for Hot Oil Law Violations.. She said that among the guests were J. Edgar Hoover, Clyde Tolson, Richard Nixon, H. L. Hunt, Fred Korth, Cliff Carter, etc. and it's the biggest JFK smoking gun there is - despite the fact that it has According to Brown's story she was invited to a social party at the mansion of Clint Murchison, the Texas oil tycoon. The kitchen is bigger than two average living rooms. He was also the father of Dallas Cowboys owner Clint Murchison Jr.. [2] Contents 1 Personal 2 Family 3 Death 4 JFK conspiracy allegations 5 References Personal safer out in the light and decided to let the world hear her story. In fact, many of John and Lupes friends looked askance at the collection. Clint W. Murchison Sr was married twicefirst to Anne Morris (b. Outside the debate of magic bullets, multiple shooters and grassy knoll The Murchison estate also included what the family called the "Big House," a 22,000-square-foot mansion that Clint Sr. built and which Lupe abandoned in 1998, when she completed her house. A black-and-white photo of the smiling boy holding a piglet under his arm would be on Murchisons bedside table for the rest of his life. It took four years, but he carved a private retreat out of the unforgiving terrain. (G.J. The home sits on nearly three acres of land. Madeleine Brown first spoke publicly on the matter in 1992, in a television interview for A Current Affair. The former home of Clint Murchison Sr. and, later, his partner Toddie Lee Wynne Sr., has come under assault by the elements since the land became a government wildlife refuge in 1986. Donated by Ruth Eidson, formerly Ruth Roosevelt, to the FDR Library; Archival film of Lyndon Johnson on San Jose Island, LBJ Library; Clint: A Biography, by Ernestine Orrick Van Buren, 1986; A Rendezvous with Destiny, by Elliott Roosevelt and James Brough, 1975; Fishing Yesterdays Gulf Coast, by Barney Farley, 2002; The Path to Power, by Robert A. Caro, 1981, 1982; Life on Matagorda Island, by Wayne H. McAlister, 2004; The Big Rich, by Bryan Burrough, 2009; The Murchisons, by Jane Wolfe, 1989, Five days after Pearl Harbor, Dwight Eisenhower boarded a train at Dallas Union Station and was invited to the drawing room of Sid Richardson. The Potomac was geared for sedate voyaging, noted Elliott Roosevelt. There was no negotiating. Not even with her children. He was 63 years old. the patsy Lee Harvey Oswald dead on November 24. In their twenties, the brothers began speculating on land and buildings in the Cleveland area. Even the staid Cullens found. Richardson was taller and more talkative, with a limp he worked to conceal. There, the challenge of bringing a paralyzed man to a largely undeveloped island became immediately apparent. Where Cedar Bayou separates San Jose from Matagorda, the cars forded the trickle of water onto Murchisons island. Oil produced above the legal limit was called hot oil. Having had her own (and LBJ's illegitimate) son and nanny disappeared by Johnson's The mansion on St. Johns was purchased by Aikman for a confirmed $4.3 million. love and informs you that you should now be independent enough to, these questions without his help- Hide quoted text -, From http://home.comcast.net/~dperry1943/browns.html, Fromhttp://home.comcast.net/~dperry1943/browns.html.