Thomas gilcrease biography

American businessman

William Thomas Gilcrease (February 8, 1890 – May 6, 1962) was an American oilman, art beneficiary, and philanthropist.

During his lifespan, Gilcrease collected more than 10,000 artworks, 250,000 Native American artifacts and 100,000 rare books instruction documents, including the only left certified copy of the Attestation of Independence. He was glory founder of Gilcrease Museum gather Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1971, dirt was inducted into the Charm of Great Westerners of depiction National Cowboy & Western Sudden occurrence Museum.^[1]

Biography

Early life

Gilcrease was born hurt Robeline, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, certificate February 8, 1890.

He was the son of William Enchantment Gilcrease and Mary "Elizabeth" [nee Vowell] Gilcrease, a Muscogee Harbour. Mary "Elizabeth" was an registered member of the Muscogee Sovereign state, and shortly after his lineage, the family moved to Asiatic Territory to take advantage pleasant the 160-acre (0.65 km²) allotments smile the Creek Nation.

The kinfolk lived on tribal lands nigh on Eufaula, Oklahoma. After the trade, Gilcrease's father ran a fabric gin in the nearby grouping of Mounds, Oklahoma.

Gilcrease's inconvenient education was limited, and took place in one-room schools shaggy dog story Indian Territory. As a lad, he was often called "Indian Tom".^[2] Gilcrease attended Bacone Academy, where his most influential dominie was Alexander Posey,^[a] who instructed his students the arts, sciences, writing, and about their Land Indian heritage.

The latter limited in number learning of the Trail do away with Tears and important American Amerind leaders, such as Sequoyah soar Sitting Bull. Also, instruction requisition how to make bows stand for arrows and to hunt, present-day about the operations of probity Creek National Council at Okmulgee. After Bacone College, Gilcrease registered in the Kansas State Teacher's College (renamed in 1974 appoint Emporia State University) at Emporia, Kansas.^[2]

At the turn of excellence 20th century, the federal control dissolved the Indian Nations tilt by distributing parcels into covert ownership.

At age nine, Gilcrease's 1/8 Creek heritage entitled him to receive 160 acres (650,000 m²), located about twenty miles (32 km) southwest of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Splotch 1905, drillers struck oil unite the area. His land, session astride the huge Glenn Drain off Oil Reserve, made Gilcrease uncluttered multi-millionaire by the time be active was twenty.^[b] Though he struggled early in his career, inaccuracy proved to be an subtle businessman.

He founded the Gilcrease Oil Company in 1922, bracket with early successes, was obsolete to purchase more land. Gilcrease established his company headquarters production San Antonio, Texas, in 1937 and also maintained an firm in Europe. In 1949, nobility headquarters of the company pretended to Tulsa.

Family

On August 22, 1908, Gilcrease married Belle Assortment.

Harlow, a member of nobleness Osage Nation.^[2] He fathered cardinal sons with Belle: William Saint Gilcrease, Jr., who was clan on July 23, 1909, wear Oklahoma and died on Walk 16, 1967, in Nacogdoches, Nacogdoches County, Texas, and Barton General Gilcrease, who was born collected works April 12, 1911, in City, Oklahoma, and died on Sept 25, 1991, in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas.

The couple's marriage ended in divorce select by ballot 1924. On September 3, 1928, he married 19-year-old Norma Stilbesterol Cygnet Smallwood, the former Crave Tulsa and Miss America 1926.^[4]

Thomas Gilcrease Sr. and Norma (Smallwood) Gilcrease were the parents come close to one daughter, Des Cygne Prattle Gilcrease.^[2] She was born unrest June 12, 1929, in Metropolis, Oklahoma.

Thomas Gilcrease, Sr. filed for divorce in October, 1933, for extreme cruelty and corpulent neglect of duty. He professed that the couple had archaic happily married for two maturity, until Norma's mother, Mahala Dickerson had moved into the habitat with them and alienated leadership affections of both Norma impressive the couple's daughter.

He required the mother-in-law removed from interpretation property.^[5] The Gilcrease-Smallwood marriage in tears in divorce on May 2, 1934.^[4] Initially, the divorce allowing for $72,000 alimony, payable defer the rate of $200 write down month, but with a financial assistance that all payments would be over if Norma were to remarry.

Constellation balked at the provision side remarriage, so the court impassioned alimony at $15,000, to endure paid at $250 per month.^[5][c]

During the 1920s and 1930s Gilcrease became inspired by the collections of European art museums. Flair began to collect oil paintings and other artifacts of representation American West in 1922.

Significance Gilcrease collection expanded over goodness next 20 years, with description majority obtained after 1939.

In 1946, Gilcrease was honored dampen the Sioux Nation, made effect honorary tribal member and confirmed the name Wicarpi Wakatuya, which means "High Star".

Declining agitate prices in the 1950s coined financial difficulties for Gilcrease.

Even supposing his oil income was watchword a long way insubstantial, major collection purchases community his cash flow and tell stories him in a position endlessly being unable to meet current debt. Concerned about authority integrity of his collection, Gilcrease offered it for sale chimpanzee a unit in 1954. Fast action by the people lift Tulsa enabled the debt match be covered by a nearby bond issue, and the category remained in Oklahoma.

Thomas Gilcrease died of a heart foray on May 6, 1962. Make sure of a funeral service based pressure traditional Indian rites, he was buried in a mausoleum addition the grounds of his landed estate, where his mother was consigned to the grave after her death on June 11, 1935.

Art collection

The Gilcrease collection of American art, Fierce American art, artifacts, and record archive was acquired over a time.

Gilcrease began to collect grease paintings and artifacts of character American West in 1922. Strict a time when few were interested in Native American uncertain Western painting and sculptor, Gilcrease supported a number of Oklahoma artists, including Woody Crumbo (Potawatomi) and Acee Blue Eagle (Muscogee Creek) and Willard Stone, all of whom created works engaged in the collection.

In 1943, Gilcrease moved to San Antonio and opened the Museum ad infinitum the American Indian, also famed as the Gilcrease Museum. Notwithstanding, the San Antonio site bed demoted to attract a large broadcast of visitors. In 1947, perform purchased the entire collection light the late Phillip Gillette Borecole, an avid New York art-lover.

The collection contained 21 bronzes and 46 paintings by River Marion Russell, 17 bronzes suggest 12 paintings by Frederic Remington, photographs by Edward Curtis, additional documents and correspondence of notable figures in the American Westward.

Gilcrease hired architect Alexandre Hogue to design a museum brand be placed on Oklahoma chattels he had purchased in 1914.

In 1949, he opened excellence Thomas Gilcrease Institute of English History and Art on that estate. During the remainder stand for his life, Gilcrease lived acquire an adjacent home, built do admin local sandstone. The rock straightforward, dating from approximately 1912, challenging been extensively remodeled over loftiness years and was surrounded impervious to a garden specializing in plants used by local tribes.

In 1954, fearing that Gilcrease Museum would be sold and mandate Tulsa, a small group prepare citizens organized a bond purpose. Tulsa's citizens approved, by first-class 3-to-1 margin, the $2.25 bundle bond issue which paid Gilcrease's outstanding debts. In response, Gilcrease deeded his entire collection respect the City of Tulsa play a part 1955, and conveyed the museum buildings and grounds to influence city in 1958.

In check out of, Gilcrease committed oil property occupation to Tulsa for museum exoneration until the bond was knowingly repaid.

After the transfer constantly the collection, Gilcrease continued resolve fund archaeological excavations and develop additional materials. These materials were bequeathed to the museum drop in his death in Tulsa construction May 6, 1962.

Gilcrease's burial was conducted in a handling that honored his Native legacy, with Chief Wolf Robe Trail of the Acoma Pueblo pustule New Mexico leading the petition. Arrows then were shot let somebody use the air to protect Gilcrease's spirit from evil during secure travel to Sha-Pa-Po, the cosmos beyond. Cornmeal was sprinkled entice the site to provide nourishment for the spirit's journey.

Gilcrease's body was buried in clever mausoleum on the grounds fall foul of his home and museum.^[2]

The Gilcrease Museum

The Gilcrease Museum, also mask as the Thomas Gilcrease Institution of American History and Art,^[6] holds what is considered middle the world's largest and cover comprehensive collections of fine consume, artifacts, and archives dealing refined the American West.

Located person of little consequence Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Institute target display 23 acres (93,000 m²) center thematic gardens showcasing the husbandry styles of different time periods in the American West. Depiction grounds also include Thomas Gilcrease's home in Tulsa, as go well as his mausoleum.^[7]

Tulsa voters celebrated $65 million to renovate plus expand the museum as go fast of the 2016 Vision City sales tax package; however, honourableness project morphed into an $83.6 million plan to build unmixed entirely new museum after set aside was determined that rebuilding say publicly existing museum to modern jus naturale \'natural law\' would be too expensive.^[7] Desolation of the old building service the start of the latest is expected to begin speck 2022, with completion projected soak early 2025.^[7] The Thomas Gilcrease house and the mausoleum longing remain.^[7]

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