Sid Williams Richardson

The Handbook of Texas says Richardson was considered one of the wealthiest men in the nation, with estimates up to $800 million, yet the public seldom knew his business. He rarely talked to reporters and disliked publicity. From his Fort Worth offices he leased more oil land than several major companies, and in 1947 he set up a foundation for churches, hospitals and schools. In 1954 he and Clint Murchison backed Robert Young's New York Central fight with $20 million in shares. He died on September 30, 1959; Billy Graham conducted the services.

What the plaque says

Sid Williams Richardson Born in Athens on April 25, 1891, Sid Williams Richardson became known as the "Billionaire Bachelor." When he was 16, Sid traveled to Louisiana, to purchase cattle with money he saved. A natural trader and negotiator, Richardson sold the calves once he returned to Athens and tripled his money, making $3,500. Following high school, Sid briefly attended Baylor University in Waco and Simmons (now Hardin-Simmons) University in Abilene. In 1909, Sid's brother-in-law helped him get a job with an oil well supply company in Wichita Falls where he worked as a salesman, oil scout, lease purchaser and, by 1917, an independent oil producer. In 1919, Richardson partnered with his long-time friend Clint Murchison to buy land and lease or sell the lands to oil companies seeking new areas to drill. Sid's finances fluctuated as he lost and gained wealth but he persisted. In 1929, he discovered the keystone field in Winkler County, drilling 80 straight wells without a dry hole in what would become one of the largest oil fields in Texas and making Richardson one of the most successful independent oil men in the country. In 1936, Sid purchased San Jose Island, five miles off the Gulf Coast from Rockport, Texas, where he built the only home he ever owned. He hosted Pres. Franklin Roosevelt there in May 1937 during his visit to Texas. Pres. Roosevelt later sought Richardson's council on the nation's petroleum reserves during WWII. Sid was a close friend of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower following the war, entertaining him and Lyndon Johnson at San Jose Island. The island was used as a location to raise Texas Longhorn cattle to ensure their preservation. Sid was named to the National Petroleum Council, owned a chain of drug stores, a hotel and a television station, and assisted local charities. Sid died on September 30, 1959, and is buried in Athens. (2016)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center — 5.6 mi
  A Texas Parks and Wildlife hatchery and visitor center in Athens where visitors can borrow tackle and fish a stocked pond, watch native species in gallery tanks and ride a tram around the hatchery.
• Purtis Creek State Park — 13 mi
  A 1,582-acre park straddling the Henderson and Van Zandt county line, built around a 355-acre lake with no-wake fishing, borrowed tackle, a 4.1-mile hike-and-bike trail and a nature path.

More markers nearby

• Clinton Williams Murchison, Sr. — steps away
• Dulcinea Ann Holland Thompson Avriett — 0.2 mi
• Joseph Thomas La Rue and Stella E. Parsons La Rue — 0.2 mi
• Henderson County Pottery Industry — 0.4 mi