Ross S. Sterling
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Ross Shaw Sterling (February 11, 1875Template:Spaced ndashMarch 25, 1949) was an American politician who served as the 31st governor of Texas from 1931 to 1933.
Early years
Sterling was born in Anahuac in Chambers County near Houston, Texas. He grew up on a farm and, after little formal education, began working as a clerk at the age of 12.<ref name="Handbook">Template:Cite web</ref>
Career
At the age of 21, Sterling launched his own merchandising business. In 1911, his brother Frank Sterling, other oilmen, and he formed the Humble Oil Company, a predecessor of present-day Exxon-Mobil.<ref name="Handbook"/> They were joined in the venture by their sister, Florence M. Sterling.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> Sterling and his brother Frank and his sister, Florence, were referred to as the "Trio".<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref>
In addition to the oil industry, Sterling was involved in a railroad company, the former Houston Post newspaper, banking, and real estate in the Houston area. He was a member of the Houston Port Commission. He served as chairman of the Texas Highway Commission under his predecessor, Governor Dan Moody.<ref name=wtha>"Jessie Ziegler and Governor Ross Sterling," East Texas Historical Association and West Texas Historical Association, annual meeting in Fort worth, Texas, February 26, 2010</ref>
Public service
A Democrat who has been described by one observer as “a successful business man and a devotee of laissez-faire,”<ref>The Chief Executive In Texas A Study in Gubernatorial Leadership By Fred Gantt, Jr., 2014, P.304</ref> Sterling defeated former Governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson and several other candidates in the 1930 primary race for governor. During Sterling's term in office, the East Texas oil fields experienced rapid and uncontrolled development.Template:Citation needed The Railroad Commission of Texas attempted prorationTemplate:What?, but the courts struck down the plan. Because of the chaotic situation, Sterling declared martial law in four counties for six months. National Guard troops were sent to the oil fields to limit waste and control production. This action was later declared unwarranted by the federal district court<ref>Template:Cite court</ref> and the U.S. Supreme Court,<ref>Template:Cite court</ref> and the Railroad Commission's plan for proration was accepted. Cotton prices continued to decline during Sterling's term in office.<ref name=wtha/>
Sterling's loss in the 1932 Democratic primary is the closest primary defeat for an incumbent governor in United States history. He lost to Miriam Ferguson in the run-off election by a margin of 50.2% to 49.8% with less than 4,000 votes separating the candidates. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life and death
He wed Maud Abbie Gage on October 10, 1898.<ref name="Handbook"/>
Sterling died in Fort Worth on March 25, 1949, and is buried at Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Three Texas schools are named after him, Sterling High School in Baytown, Sterling High School in Houston, and Ross Sterling Middle School in Humble, Texas. In addition, his grand-nephew, Ross N. Sterling, a Republican, became a United States federal judge in Texas under appointment of U.S. President Gerald R. Ford Jr.<ref name=RJM>Steven Harmon Wilson, The Rise of Judicial Management in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas (2002), p. 241-242.</ref>
In 1925, Sterling's daughter Mildred married the prominent architect Wyatt C. Hedrick of Fort Worth.
Sterling's former house, built about 1910, was moved in 1999 from 106 Westheimer Road to the intersection of Bagby and Rosalie to undergo restoration.<ref>"A monumental task." Houston Chronicle. April 3, 1999. A25 MetFront. Retrieved on November 15, 2009.</ref> In 2015 it opened as a bar & restaurant called Sterling House <ref>"Historic Sterling house, built in 1905, converted into midtown bar and restaurant."</ref>
References
Further reading
External links
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