Oscar F. 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.

Oscar Holcombe
43rd, 45th, 47th, 50th & 52nd Mayor of Houston
In office January 2, 1956 – January 2, 1958
Preceded by	Roy Hofheinz
Succeeded by	Lewis Cutrer
In office January 2, 1947 – January 2, 1953
Preceded by	Otis Massey
Succeeded by	Roy Hofheinz
In office January 2, 1939 – January 2, 1941
Preceded by	Richard H. Fonville
Succeeded by	Neal Pickett
In office January 2, 1933 – January 2, 1937
Preceded by	Walter A. Monteith
Succeeded by	Richard H. Fonville
In office January 2, 1921 – January 2, 1929
Preceded by	A. Earl Amerman
Succeeded by	Walter A. Monteith
Personal details
Born	Oscar Fitzallen Holcombe December 31, 1888 Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Died	June 18, 1968 (aged 79) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery Houston, Texas
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Grey Miller ​ (m. 1912)​
Children	1
Profession	Businessman

Biography

Holcombe was born in Mobile, Alabama, and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He moved to Houston when he was 18, and founded his own construction business, the O. F. Holcombe Company, at age 26. His business acumen and contacts eventually made Holcombe a millionaire.

Six years after founding his business, in 1921, Holcombe won his first term as mayor. He served as mayor from 1921 to 1929. Holcombe was defeated in the 1929 election by Walter Monteith, who supported a more fiscally conservative approach. Holcombe ran for mayor again in 1931, promising to do more for the unemployed, but Monteith was elected again.

Holcombe served subsequent mayoral terms from 1933 to 1937, 1939 to 1941, 1947 to 1953, and 1956 to 1958. His administrations were considered to be conservative and pro-business, though Holcombe was also aggressive about expanding the city's boundaries and improving public services (such as libraries, a municipal auditorium, and an improved sewage system).

Holcombe married Mary Grey Miller on May 3, 1912. They had one daughter, Elisabeth, who married Henry Markley Crosswell, Jr.

Honors

During the early 1960s, Houston renamed the stretch of Bellaire Boulevard east of Southside Place, which runs through the Texas Medical Center, as Holcombe Boulevard. In the late 1980s, the municipality of West University Place also renamed Bellaire Boulevard as Holcombe Boulevard within its jurisdiction.

External links

• Oscar Fitzallen Holcombe from the Handbook of Texas Online
• Holcombe, Oscar. Oscar Holcombe Radio Addresses, Houston Oral History Project, October 28, 1940.