Carr P. Collins Sr. (May 12, 1892 – January 17, 1980) was an American insurance magnate and
philanthropist
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
.
Early life
Carr P. Collins Sr. was born on May 12, 1892, in
Chester, Texas
Chester is a town in Tyler County, Texas, United States. The population was 312 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Chester is located at (30.923401, –94.599131).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6  ...
. His father was
Vinson Allen Collins and his mother, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Hopkins. His paternal grandparents were Eboline and Warren Collins. The Collins family moved to
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
from
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
in 1854, prior to the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
He spent one year at Southwest Texas State Teachers College (now
Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
).
Business career
In 1913, he was appointed first secretary of the Texas Industrial Accident Board, which had been founded as a result of legislation sponsored by his father in the
Texas Senate
The Texas Senate ( es, Senado de Texas) is the upper house of the Texas State Legislature. There are 31 members of the Senate, representing single-member districts across the U.S. state of Texas, with populations of approximately 806,000 per cons ...
. He then had a long career in insurance. He founded the
Fidelity Union Life Insurance Company
Fidelity Union Life Insurance Company is an insurance company based in Dallas, Texas. In 2012, it had assets in excess of $19 billion. The high-rise residential building known as Mosaic Dallas originally served as its corporate offices. It wa ...
in 1928 in partnership with William Morriss. In 1958, the newly constructed Fidelity Union high rise was the tallest skyscraper west of the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
. The company's rapid growth resulted from a novel
employee stock option
Employee stock options (ESO) is a label that refers to compensation contracts between an employer and an employee that carries some characteristics of financial options.
Employee stock options are commonly viewed as an internal agreement prov ...
plan partially devised by Collins. The company was sold to Alliance of Germany for $360,000,000 in 1980.
In the 1930s, he launched a coast-to-coast radio selling campaign for a product called Crazy Crystals, dehydrated minerals from the springs at
Mineral Wells, Texas
Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 16,788 at the 2010 census (14,644 in Palo Pinto and 2144 in Parker). The city is named for mineral wells in the area, which were highly popu ...
. They were advertised both as being a
laxative
Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation.
Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...
and as having other healing powers when dissolved in water. His radio station XEAW was the most powerful station in the country at that time, which he used to market Crazy Crystals. He also owned the Crazy Water Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas to accommodate movie stars and celebrities seeking therapeutic treatment. Sales reputedly reached $3 million a year, although the
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
later declared the product (and numerous similar products) fraudulent. Other early accomplishments include the startup of Ventahood, still owned and operated by the Woodall side of the family.
In 1968, he received the Golden Plate Award of the
American Academy of Achievement
The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet o ...
.
In the later decades of his life, he was involved in a number of manufacturing and homebuilding ventures which included Mayflower Estates in Dallas north of
Preston Hollow.
Politics
He was also involved in Texas politics as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
.
In 1938, he became an advisor to gubernatorial candidate
W. Lee O'Daniel
Wilbert Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel (March 11, 1890May 11, 1969) was an American Democratic Party politician from Texas, who came to prominence by hosting a popular radio program. Known for his populist appeal and support of Texas's business commun ...
. As governor, O'Daniel tried to appoint Collins to the state highway commission, thus breaking the tradition of giving each major section of the state a member; the Senate voted Collins down. After a bitterly disputed race for the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
in 1941, in which O'Daniel narrowly defeated
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
, a Texas Senate investigating committee questioned Collins about a large undeclared gift of radio time to O'Daniel on Collins's Mexican station, XEAW. Collins claimed that the time was paid for by O'Daniel's friends but that he could not remember the donors and had kept no records of the contributions.
Personal life
He married Ruth Woodall, a schoolteacher from
Hallsville, Texas
Hallsville is a city in Harrison County, Texas, Harrison County, Texas, United States, located west of the county seat, Marshall, Texas, Marshall, on U.S. Highway 80. The population was 3,577 at the 2010 census, up from 2,772 at the 2000 census ...
, in 1914. They had three children together:
James M Collins, businessman and member of the U.S. House of Representatives; Carr Collins Jr., a businessman and amateur
genealogist
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...
; and
Ruth Collins Sharp Altshuler, a prominent Dallas philanthropist.
Death
He died on January 17, 1980.
[Obituary in ''Dallas Morning News'', January 19, 1980]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Carr
1892 births
1980 deaths
People from Tyler County, Texas
Texas State University alumni
Businesspeople from Texas
Texas Democrats
20th-century American philanthropists
20th-century American businesspeople