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El Paso Community College
Library Research Guides

Frontera: Male Businessmen/Entrepreneurs

Centralized guide to all EPCC's local history publications, videos and guides and sources for local history topics

Business - Men

Armes, Jay J.  famous private investigator

Bowen, Jimmy  major rancher, owner of Edge of Texas steakhouse, Korean War veteran

Dudley, R.M. Former El Paso Mayor who won fighting the KKK.  contractor who partly built Scenic Drive.  Old baseball stadium named after him.

Eddy, Brothers (John and Charles) builders of the railroad to Cloudcroft   

Loya, Fred Sr.  Founder of Fred Loya Insurance

See Business in El Paso

Gomez, Modesto A. / MAGI Circle Segundo Barrio

Gulbas, Irving Lithuanian WWII veteran who founded National Restaurant Supply 

Harvey, Crawford or Charles (C.M.), Maud, Son Paul S, and wife Katharine White Harvey  CM was founder of El Paso National Bank, married to Maud Harvey.  could be combined into an article on the Harvey family's impact on El Paso:  Crawford/Charles and Maud, and their son Paul Harvey( businessman, banker, rancher ) and his wife Katharine White Harvey.  Photos of some of their houses in the El Paso's Manhattan Heights book below.

Henson, Dusty / Saddleblanket Co. 

Hervey, Fred  two time Mayor (1951-55 and 1973-75), founder of Circle K chain. See Men in Politics

Hoard, Roy   Railroad president in El Paso region early part of 20th century

Hoard papers at the El Paso Public Library per review of book in Southwestern Historical Quarterly Volume 92 1988/89 p. 388

Ivey, Ben   influential leader/farmer/builder/philanthropist in the Lower Valley.  Pioneer family.  

Jordan, Chester one of El Paso's top civil rights activist and founder and former chairman of the El Paso Black Chamber of Commerce.   

Kayser, Paul founder of El Paso Natural Gas in the 1920s

Leavell, Charles  owner of C. H. Leavell Construction Co. and philanthopist

 Lesinsky, Henry  mining, jobbing company, Jewish pioneer in Las Cruces/El Paso  

Lyons, Thomas.  owner of largest ranch in NM murdered in El Paso 1917.  largest murder case in EP history. cold case detailed in  Last Train to El Paso: 

Marentes, Emiliano  Owner and Chef of Elemi restaurant (and former EPCC student) which is moving from its downtown Kansas Street location to the East Side Fall 2023. He is a James Beard national Culinary Award nominee. 

Mathias, Albert & Co. 

Contact UTEP Library's Special Collections to view this manuscript collection:  MS320 Albert Mathias & Company 1931-1950

Mitchell, Harry  owner of prominent post-prohibition brewery 

Najera, Richard president of El Paso Lone Star Homes, Inc., and one of El Paso’s first Mexican American electricians

Nations, Joseph Henry  rancher and businessman 

Padilla, Felix and Edmundo, early 1900s filmmakers and exhibitors who owned the  Imperial Theater on Alameda Ave

Ponce, Mary and Ernest  2015 El Paso Historical Society Hall of Honor Nominees. Entrepreneurs, civic leaders, philanthropists

See Password 2015 volume near the NW Reference Desk.  

Richardson, Tedd F. 1932- 2008. Cattle trader, farmer, land developer, financier, philanthropist. 

Rubin, Gerald  former Chairman, CEO and President of Helen of Troy

Satterthwaite, John Fisher. financier and real estate developer, ran for mayor of El Paso, was street and park commissioner, designed San Jacinto Plaza and Mesa Gardens 

Tobin, Frank  Developer of the northeast side of El Paso. 

Weaver, William Ralph  inventor of the Weaver Scope and philanthropist

Winton, Jack  home builder started Winton & Associates
See NW Librarian Rachel Murphree for: The House That Jack Built: A Memoir.

Wyler Aerial Tramway / Karl Wyler, Broadcaster.  The tramway was open in the mid 1900s, close and then reopened for 17 years, closing in 2018.

Research tips

Note details that might seem insignificant at first glance, in case one finds other information later.

Women's information is often found through researching the men in their lives (i.e. husband, fathers, etc.) so the notes here might only state that Mrs. X was married to Mr. X who was important for some reason, but in researching him, there might be information about his wife found later.

Research full text of local newspaper articles back to 1881 in this database available to EPCC users and in person in EPCC Libraries: 

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