No Texas archetype is more indelibly stamped on the public 
perception than the Texas oil man - a shrewd, flamboyant figure 
captured most recently in the character of J. R. Ewing in the 
long-running television series "Dallas." During the 1980s when 
this program was playing worldwide, reinforcing the stereotype 
of the oil man as a conservative, unprincipled rogue, another 
Texas oil man named J. R. - in this case, J. R. Parten - was 
quietly concluding a remarkable career that spanned most of the 
twentieth century. Although J. R. Parten shared some 
characteristics with the fictional J. R. Ewing - he was a 
highly successful and tough-minded entrepreneur - Parten was a 
quiet gentleman, loyal to his friends, and a man of honor and 
principle. Little known during his lifetime, he remains a 
relatively anonymous figure despite the fact that he played a 
number of historically significant roles in Texas and the 
nation, and counted numerous bigger-than-life characters as 
colleagues, associates, and friends: Huey Long, Sam Rayburn, 
John Henry Faulk, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Harry Truman, among 
others.


Through numerous interviews and unlimited access to Parten's 
personal papers, the author tells the fascinating story of 
Parten's life, from small town East Texas at the turn of the 
century to the capitals of the world. After studying at the 
University of Texas from 1913 to 1917, he served in World War 
I as the youngest major in the field artillery. He entered the 
oil business in 1919 and was a true pioneer in the industry, 
establishing numerous energy businesses that earned millions 
of dollars and employed thousands of people. While serving on 
the University of Texas Board of Regents from 1935 to 1941, 
Parten used his knowledge of the oil business to greatly 
increase the university's income from its oil holdings, and 
fought tenaciously for academic excellence and freedom of 
speech for students and faculty. When democracy was threatened 
during World War II, Parten was a dominant figure in the 
development of the "Big Inch" and "Little Inch" pipelines, 
which stretched from East Texas to the East Coast and 
provided critical fuel for the victorious Allied war effort. 
In 1945 Parten served as chief of staff for the U.S. delegation 
to the Allied War Reparations Commission in Moscow and later 
participated in the Potsdam Conference in Berlin.


A lifelong Democrat of moderately liberal cast, Parten was a 
player in state and national politics, often crusading on the 
liberal and losing side of elections and issues. In 1950 he 
helped establish the Fund for the Republic in an effort to 
counter threats to basic civil liberties during the Red Scare 
of the 1950s. His support for the Texas Observer and 
for sometimes unpopular politicians and ideas brought important 
liberal ideas to the local and national stage. As a generous 
philanthropist and political activist - often behind the 
scenes - Parten supported world peace and opposed nuclear 
weapons and the Vietnam War.


A man who stood firmly behind his beliefs, Parten was a quiet 
doer in a culture that is more likely to recognize the 
flamboyant gesture. He held fast to his principles, but as a 
lifelong learner he was always willing to change. J. R. Parten 
was a man who made a difference.




DON E. CARLETON, director of the Center for American 
History at the University of Texas at Austin, is the author of 
several articles and books on twentieth-century American life, 
including the award-winning Red Scare.