Lee Wilder Thomas
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Lee Wilder Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 15, 1873 |
| Died | April 11, 1953 (aged 79) |
| Other names | Rev. L.W. Thomas, Elder L.W. Thomas |
| Occupation | Oil Tycoon |
| Known for | President of The Primitive Baptist National Convention (1932-1934) |
Lee Wilder Thomas, known as Rev. L.W. Thomas (August 15, 1873 - April 11, 1953), was a prominent African-American business and oil man. L.W. Thomas was among the lucky land owners in the Mexia, Texas, oil field. In the early 1930s, he partnered with Jake Simmons, Jr., another wealthy African-American oil broker. Together, these two men built Simmons Royalty Co., one of the leading African-American oil and mineral right royalty companies in the state of Oklahoma.
Born in Springfield or Tehuacana, Limestone County, Texas, L.W. was the only child born to Boss Thomas and Bettie Arbuckle. His father, Boss Thomas, was an early Alabamian who migrated and re-settled in Texas.
As a young boy, while attending the Sardis Primitive Baptist Church, Mexia, Limestone County, Texas, he felt a calling to preach the gospel. He received his early education[1] in Mexia, and would later attend and graduate college from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. After graduating college L.W. married Clemmie Estella Ross in 1895. This union would produce thirteen children.