John Henry Phelan
Encyclopedia
John Henry “Harry” Phelan (December 11, 1877 – May 19, 1957), was a businessman and philanthropist
. He was made a Knight of St. Gregory
in January 1933 by Pope Pius XI
.
He the secretary-treasurer of the Yount-Lee Oil Company
, and later named as vice president and treasurer, had been associated with Miles Franklin Yount
from the early days when Yount struggled at Sour Lake, Texas and he was a traveling salesman with the Heisig-Norvell Company.
, Harry was one of Patrick Henry and Adele Myers Phelan’s eleven children. He received an early education in the parochial schools at Charlotte, but soon after completing the ninth grade, he followed his father into the wholesale grocery business. The younger Phelan held jobs as office boy and shipping clerk in several organizations, including the Wittkowsky Wholesale Dry Goods and the Wolfe Company, and at the age of nineteen, he went to work as a traveling salesman for the J. A. Durham Company. He remained there until January 1902, when he moved to Beaumont, Texas
.
Heisig-Norvell offered him a similar job at a salary of $150 per month. Phelan accepted the position and remained with this concern until 1913, at which time he formed his own business, the Phelan-Josey Grocery Company. For a while, though, he successfully divided his time between duties at Yount-Lee and his own firm, but in January 1927 the demands generated by the oil company’s success at Spindletop
forced him to choose between the two. Yount-Lee won out. Phelan, however, continued as president of Phelan-Josey, but his brother, Frank, already a vice president there, assumed the title of general manager and ran the business while Harry devoted his full attention to Yount-Lee affairs.
On June 15, 1905, he married Johannah Maria Cunningham at Chicago
, and three children were born to this union: John Henry, Jr., Anthony, and Margaret. The elder Phelan, an active member of the Catholic Church, became legendary for his philanthropic activities. In October 1931 he donated $35,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Austin, Texas
, and he contributed considerable funds to the Home of the Holy Infancy (now Marywood), located also in Austin, that provides maternity, adoption, and foster care services. He and Johannah gave extensively to St. Anne Church and St. Anne School in Beaumont, along with numerous “organs, statues, and ..., making gifts of some 225 altars to churches throughout the country,” including the one donated in 1915 to St. Anthony Cathedral in Beaumont.
As a recompense for his many contributions, Pope Pius XI
made Harry a Knight of St. Gregory
in January 1933, an honor received previously by only one other Texan and only about fifty men in the entire country. And later that same year, the Pope also granted the Phelans a private audience, a first for Beaumonters. The Catholic Church bestowed upon him numerous other awards, such as Knight of Malta and Knight in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
In 1928 Phelan began construction of a palatial home named Caed Mile Failte, a Gaelic term meaning “one hundred thousand welcomes,” on a 15.4 acres (62,321.6 m²) estate, located at the corner of Eleventh Street and Calder Avenue in Beaumont. The original estimate of the house, set at $125,000, escalated, and when completed, it ranged near $500,000 after adding in the costs of the land, furnishings, and other amenities, such as guest houses, art studios, a miniature golf course, stables, a swimming pool, and a $25,000 pipe organ. Architect Owen James Trainor Southwell, a long-time friend of the family who grew up with the Phelan children, designed the overall project.
Harry Phelan gave much of his time and some of his wealth to his beloved city of Beaumont. In return, the Beaumont Rotary Club named him as 1940 citizen of the year, and in 1951 he received the prestigious Laetare Medal
, conferred by the University of Notre Dame to outstanding Catholic laymen.
He became known far and wide for his philanthropic acts, but the greatest of these occurred in early 1957 when he and Johannah donated their home and estate to the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
. The home, now vacant, and grounds are a part of the St. Elizabeth Hospital complex. Harry Phelan died at age seventy-nine in Beaumont on May 19, 1957, and is buried at the city’s Magnolia Cemetery.
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He was made a Knight of St. Gregory
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
in January 1933 by Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
.
He the secretary-treasurer of the Yount-Lee Oil Company
Yount-Lee Oil Company
The Yount-Lee Oil Company, founded in 1914, was the successor to the Yount-Rothwell Oil Company which had been formed earlier by Miles Franklin Yount and Talbot Frederick Rothwell. Yount headed up the new enterprise and counted among his partners Thomas Peter Lee, William Ellsworth Lee, Emerson...
, and later named as vice president and treasurer, had been associated with Miles Franklin Yount
Miles Franklin Yount
Born in Arkansas on January 31, 1880, Miles Franklin "Frank" Yount eventually came to head up one of the most successful, private oil companies in the United States. Although famous in later years as the "Godfather of Beaumont", Frank’s early life is shrouded in mystery...
from the early days when Yount struggled at Sour Lake, Texas and he was a traveling salesman with the Heisig-Norvell Company.
Biography
Born in 1877, at Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, Harry was one of Patrick Henry and Adele Myers Phelan’s eleven children. He received an early education in the parochial schools at Charlotte, but soon after completing the ninth grade, he followed his father into the wholesale grocery business. The younger Phelan held jobs as office boy and shipping clerk in several organizations, including the Wittkowsky Wholesale Dry Goods and the Wolfe Company, and at the age of nineteen, he went to work as a traveling salesman for the J. A. Durham Company. He remained there until January 1902, when he moved to Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
.
Heisig-Norvell offered him a similar job at a salary of $150 per month. Phelan accepted the position and remained with this concern until 1913, at which time he formed his own business, the Phelan-Josey Grocery Company. For a while, though, he successfully divided his time between duties at Yount-Lee and his own firm, but in January 1927 the demands generated by the oil company’s success at Spindletop
Spindletop
Spindletop is a salt dome oil field located in the southern portion of Beaumont, Texas in the United States. The Spindletop dome was derived from the Louann Salt evaporite layer of the Jurassic geologic period. On January 10, 1901, a well at Spindletop struck oil . The new oil field soon produced...
forced him to choose between the two. Yount-Lee won out. Phelan, however, continued as president of Phelan-Josey, but his brother, Frank, already a vice president there, assumed the title of general manager and ran the business while Harry devoted his full attention to Yount-Lee affairs.
On June 15, 1905, he married Johannah Maria Cunningham at Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and three children were born to this union: John Henry, Jr., Anthony, and Margaret. The elder Phelan, an active member of the Catholic Church, became legendary for his philanthropic activities. In October 1931 he donated $35,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and he contributed considerable funds to the Home of the Holy Infancy (now Marywood), located also in Austin, that provides maternity, adoption, and foster care services. He and Johannah gave extensively to St. Anne Church and St. Anne School in Beaumont, along with numerous “organs, statues, and ..., making gifts of some 225 altars to churches throughout the country,” including the one donated in 1915 to St. Anthony Cathedral in Beaumont.
As a recompense for his many contributions, Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
made Harry a Knight of St. Gregory
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
in January 1933, an honor received previously by only one other Texan and only about fifty men in the entire country. And later that same year, the Pope also granted the Phelans a private audience, a first for Beaumonters. The Catholic Church bestowed upon him numerous other awards, such as Knight of Malta and Knight in the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.
In 1928 Phelan began construction of a palatial home named Caed Mile Failte, a Gaelic term meaning “one hundred thousand welcomes,” on a 15.4 acres (62,321.6 m²) estate, located at the corner of Eleventh Street and Calder Avenue in Beaumont. The original estimate of the house, set at $125,000, escalated, and when completed, it ranged near $500,000 after adding in the costs of the land, furnishings, and other amenities, such as guest houses, art studios, a miniature golf course, stables, a swimming pool, and a $25,000 pipe organ. Architect Owen James Trainor Southwell, a long-time friend of the family who grew up with the Phelan children, designed the overall project.
Harry Phelan gave much of his time and some of his wealth to his beloved city of Beaumont. In return, the Beaumont Rotary Club named him as 1940 citizen of the year, and in 1951 he received the prestigious Laetare Medal
Laetare Medal
The Laetare Medal is an annual award given by the University of Notre Dame in recognition of outstanding service to the Roman Catholic church and society...
, conferred by the University of Notre Dame to outstanding Catholic laymen.
He became known far and wide for his philanthropic acts, but the greatest of these occurred in early 1957 when he and Johannah donated their home and estate to the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word
The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word is the name of two Roman Catholic religious orders based in the state of Texas.- Houston Order :...
. The home, now vacant, and grounds are a part of the St. Elizabeth Hospital complex. Harry Phelan died at age seventy-nine in Beaumont on May 19, 1957, and is buried at the city’s Magnolia Cemetery.