Hubert Hardison "Pete" Coffield (1984-1979) is a prime example of a self- made man. He sold newspapers as a young boy to help his family make ends meet after his father's death. Pete was nine. At thirteen, he worked in laundry delivery, buying a two-wheeled cart and donkey to pick up and return clothes. Years later he paid his way through Baylor University with his own laundry business. World War I interrupted his studies, and Coffield joined the Naval Air Corps, which led to his next job: selling military surplus materials. The U.S. military had no use for many items after the war, so Coffield bought full train cars of these supplies at a time. He made a fortune shipping them across state lines and selling them at 2,000-3,000 person auctions.
The Rockdale-Minerva oil field discovery turned these profits into land leases. Part interest was sold to men who could handle all areas of oil drilling, and Coffield reaped in even more profits, especially during the Great Depression. He moved on to ranching, industrial enterprises, and real estate in Houston. The Texas Prison Board gave him a position in 1949. He became a treasurer to the Texas Democratic Party and a powerful political figure, some said second only to Lyndon B. Johnson.
Coffield enjoyed entertaining friends at the Diamond H Ranch, hosting a hunting lodge, swimming pool, and an airfield (his love of aircraft persisted after the war). His wife and son passed before Coffield's time in 1979. Coffield divided his fortune between the Boy Scouts of America, the Salvation Army, and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas upon his death.
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