W. Tate Brady
Encyclopedia
W. Tate Brady was a founder of Tulsa, Oklahoma
and a member of the Ku Klux Klan
.
Brady was born in Forest City, Missouri
in 1870. His family moved to Nevada, Missouri
when he was 12, where he eventually took a job at a shoe store. Here, he was the victim of a robbery. In 1890, at the age of 20, Brady headed for Creek Nation, Indian Territory to seek his fortune in the as-yet-unfounded Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1895, Brady married Cassandra Davis, who was 1/64th Cherokee. Together they had two daughters and two sons.
On January 18, 1898, Brady and other prominent businessmen signed the charter to incorporate Tulsa, thereby making it a city. Following the 1901 discovery of the Red Fork oil field, Brady built the Brady Hotel
in 1903, hoping to take advantage of the oil boom by providing a hotel for oil executives and other traveling businessmen. It also served as a meeting ground for Democrats. He was one of the major organizers behind the Tulsa Outrage
of 1917, in which members of the IWW
were tarred and feathered by the black-robed Knights of Liberty, a short-lived secret faction of the Ku Klux Klan. Brady also participated in the Tulsa Race Riot
of 1921 as a night watchman.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
and a member of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
.
Brady was born in Forest City, Missouri
Forest City, Missouri
Forest City is a city in Holt County, Missouri, United States. The population was 338 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Forest City is located at ....
in 1870. His family moved to Nevada, Missouri
Nevada, Missouri
Nevada is a city in Vernon County, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,327 at the 2011 census. It is the county seat of Vernon County. Nevada is the home of Cottey College, a junior college for women operated by the P.E.O. Sisterhood....
when he was 12, where he eventually took a job at a shoe store. Here, he was the victim of a robbery. In 1890, at the age of 20, Brady headed for Creek Nation, Indian Territory to seek his fortune in the as-yet-unfounded Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1895, Brady married Cassandra Davis, who was 1/64th Cherokee. Together they had two daughters and two sons.
On January 18, 1898, Brady and other prominent businessmen signed the charter to incorporate Tulsa, thereby making it a city. Following the 1901 discovery of the Red Fork oil field, Brady built the Brady Hotel
Brady Hotel (Tulsa)
The original Brady Hotel, a three-story wood frame building, was built in 1903 at Archer and North Main in Tulsa, Oklahoma by W. Tate Brady. It was the first hotel in Tulsa with baths, conveniently located to the Frisco railroad depot, and very popular among the oil men attracted by the new oil...
in 1903, hoping to take advantage of the oil boom by providing a hotel for oil executives and other traveling businessmen. It also served as a meeting ground for Democrats. He was one of the major organizers behind the Tulsa Outrage
Tulsa Outrage
The Tulsa Outrage was an act of vigilante violence perpetrated by the Knights of Liberty against members of the IWW on November 7, 1917 in Tulsa, Oklahoma....
of 1917, in which members of the IWW
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
were tarred and feathered by the black-robed Knights of Liberty, a short-lived secret faction of the Ku Klux Klan. Brady also participated in the Tulsa Race Riot
Tulsa Race Riot
The Tulsa race riot was a large-scale racially motivated conflict, May 31 - June 1st 1921, between the white and black communities of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in which the wealthiest African-American community in the United States, the Greenwood District also known as 'The Negro Wall St' was burned to the...
of 1921 as a night watchman.