The Suite 8F Group, also referred to as the 8F Crowd, was a network of politically active businessmen in Texas from the 1930s into the 1960s. "Suite 8F" refers to Herman Brown's Suite at the Lamar Hotel (demolished) in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Herman Brown, one of the co-founders of the construction firm Brown and Root, made his primary home in Austin until 1948. With the company headquarters in Houston, Brown typically traveled from Austin once per week, then stayed at his room at the Lamar for a few days. Yet other members of his family stayed there as well. In addition, Gus Wortham, another member of the group, lived in the room next door, 7F.

Jesse H. Jones Jesse Holman Jones (April 5, 1874June 1, 1956) was an American Democratic politician and entrepreneur from Houston, Texas. Jones managed a Tennessee tobacco factory at age fourteen, and at nineteen, he was put in charge of his uncle's lumbery ...

, the developer and owner of the Lamar Hotel, lived on its top floor and was also a member of the group. Herman Brown, and his brother,

George R. Brown George Rufus Brown (May 12, 1898 – January 22, 1983) was a prominent Houston entrepreneur. With his brother Herman, Brown led Brown & Root Inc. to become one of the largest construction companies in the world and helped to foster the political c ...

, used their suite in the Lamar Hotel as a social, business, and political club. They planned and discussed events as varied as hunting and racing, pipelines and steel plants, and philanthropy and political candidates. James A. Elkins, a Houston lawyer and banker, wielded great influence and gained a reputation as a deal maker. For example, one friend credited Elkins for facilitating the sale of local radio station. Sometimes the group formed a consensus around a political candidate, then supported him as a group. For example, the group backed

Oscar Holcombe Oscar Fitzallen Holcombe (December 31, 1888 – June 18, 1968) was an American businessman who served as the mayor of Houston, Texas, for 22 years, in 11 non-consecutive terms. Biography Holcombe was born in Mobile, Alabama, and raised in San A ...

Sam Rayburn Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn (January 6, 1882 – November 16, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 43rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a three-time House speaker, former House majority leader, two-time ...

, and the first two campaigns of

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

for President of the United States. According to '' Texas Monthly'', the 8F Crowd had gained "unequaled influence in state and national government" after the end

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

when

, Gus Wortham, and Charles Francis of Vinson & Elkins founded Texas Eastern. The group was reported to exercise leverage over

Big Oil Big Oil is a name used to describe the world's six or seven largest publicly traded and investor-owned oil and gas companies, also known as supermajors. The term, particularly in the United States, emphasizes their economic power and influence ...

. The 8F Crowd had connections to various media outlets including the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'', the ''

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'', television station KPRC, and radio stations KPRC and KTRK-TV.

Membership

The core group, or the persons who were active for the longest time, were James Abercrombie, Herman and George R. Brown, James Elkins, William and Oveta Culp Hobby, Robert E. "Bob" Smith, and Gus Wortham. Jesse H. Jones served as the group's "godfather," sometimes hosting meetings upstairs in his penthouse apartment. Other individuals are reported to have been members to the Suite 8F Group: * John Connally,

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

* Hugh Roy Cullen of Quintana Petroleum * Morgan J. Davis, of Humble Oil * Lyndon B. Johnson,

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

* Walter Mischer *

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...

* Albert Thomas, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Defense * Walter G. Hall 1907-2000 - Texas Banker, Galveston County Democrat Boss and political financier, Owner of Citizens State Bank, Citizens Investment Co. Graduate of Rice University. Involved in locating and naming of Johnson Space Center. Friend to LBJ/Lady Bird. Associations with 8F members in that era. 2021/> *

Felix Tijerina Felix Tijerina (1905–1965) was a Mexican-American restaurateur, activist, and philanthropist in Houston, Texas. He served as the 25th president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. History Tijerina was born in General Escobedo, ...

, Mexican-born owner of Houston restaurants * William Vinson, Great Southern Life Insurance * Alvin Wirtz, Thomas Corcoran,

Homer Thornberry William Homer Thornberry (January 9, 1909 – December 12, 1995) was an American politician and judge. He served as the United States representative from the 10th congressional district of Texas from 1949 to 1963. From 1963 to 1965 he was a j ...

and Edward Clark, were four

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

s who also worked closely with the Suite 8F Group. Suite 8F helped to coordinate the political activities of other

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

politicians and businessmen based in the South; these included

Robert B. Anderson Robert Bernard Anderson (June 4, 1910 August 14, 1989) was an American administrator, politician, and businessman. He served as the Secretary of the Navy between February 1953 and March 1954. He also served as the Secretary of the Treasury from ...

, president of the Texas Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association,

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

and Secretary of the Treasury; Robert Kerr of Kerr-McGee Oil Industries;

Billie Sol Estes Billie Sol Estes (January 10, 1925 – May 14, 2013) was an American businessman and financier best known for his involvement in a business fraud scandal that complicated his ties to friend and future U.S. President Lyndon Johnson. Early life E ...

, an entrepreneur in the cotton industry;

Glenn McCarthy Glenn Herbert McCarthy (December 25, 1907 – December 26, 1988) was an American oil tycoon. The media often referred to him as "Diamond Glenn" and "The King of the Wildcatters". McCarthy was an oil prospector and entrepreneur who owned many busi ...

of McCarthy Oil and Gas Company;

Earl E. T. Smith Earl Edward Tailer Smith (July 8, 1903 – February 15, 1991) was an American financier and diplomat, who served as ambassador to Cuba from 1957 to 1959 and mayor of Palm Beach 1971 to 1977. Early life Smith was born in Newport, Rhode Island o ...

, of U.S. Sugar Corporation; Fred Korth, Continental National Bank and Navy Secretary; Ross Sterling of Humble Oil; Texas oil magnates

Sid Richardson Sid Williams Richardson (April 25, 1891 – September 30, 1959) was an American businessman and philanthropist known for his association with the city of Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth. Life and career A native of Athens, Texas, Athens in east ...

and Clint Murchison, Sr.,

H. L. Hunt Haroldson Lafayette Hunt Jr. (February 17, 1889 – November 29, 1974) was an American oil tycoon. By trading poker winnings for oil rights according to legend, but more likely through money he gained from successful speculation in oil leases, he ...

of Placid Oil; Eugene B. Germany (Mustang Oil Company),

David Harold Byrd David Harold "Dry Hole" Byrd (24 April 1900 – 14 September 1986) was a noted Texan producer of petroleum, and a co-founder of the Civil Air Patrol. Byrd's cousin, polar explorer Richard E. Byrd, named Antarctica's Harold Byrd Mountains for him. ...

, chairman of Byrd Oil Corporation; Lawrence D. Bell, of Bell Helicopter; William D. Pawley (business interests in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

), Senators George Smathers, Richard Russell,

James Eastland James Oliver Eastland (November 28, 1904 February 19, 1986) was an American attorney, plantation owner, and politician from Mississippi. A Democrat, he served in the United States Senate in 1941 and again from 1943 until his resignation on Decem ...

, Benjamin Everett Jordan; and lobbyists Fred Black and

Bobby Baker Robert Gene Baker (November 12, 1928 – November 12, 2017) was an American political adviser to Lyndon B. Johnson, and an organizer for the Democratic Party. He became the Senate's Secretary to the Majority Leader. In 1963, he resigned during a ...

, also affiliated with the Serve-U Corporation.

References

* Dan Briody, ''The Halliburton Agenda: The Politics of Oil and Money'' Politics of Texas History of Houston Petroleum in Texas {{US-politics-stub