A Guide to the Ross Shaw Sterling Papers, 1930-1939

Biographical Note

Governor of Texas, 1931-1933. Ross Shaw Sterling was born near Anahuac, Texas in 1875. He spent his early career in farming and business, then entered the banking industry. In 1898, he married Maud Abbie Gage; they had five children. In 1910, Sterling purchased two oil wells and developed the Humble Oil and Refining Company. He sold his interests in the company in 1925 and entered real estate development in the Houston area. In 1925-1926, he purchased the Houston Dispatch and Post, merging them to create the Houston Dispatch-Post. He served as chairman of the Texas Highway Commission in 1930. On January 20, 1931, he was inaugurated governor of Texas. During his term of office, he confronted agricultural and oil emergencies due to the Great Depression. He declared martial law in four counties in East Texas to shut down oil production. The courts later ruled this declaration unconstitutional. Sterling was not re-elected in 1933. He returned to Houston, where he directed the Sterling Oil and Refining Company until 1946. He was also president of the American Maid Flour Mills and the R. S. Sterling Investment Company, as well as chairman of the Houston National Bank. Sterling died in Fort Worth in 1949 and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery in Houston.

Biographical note prepared from information contained in The Handbook of Texas.

Scope and Contents

Papers of Sterling during his term as governor of Texas (1931-1933) concern his gubernatorial campaign, his proclamation of martial law in East Texas, and voting irregularities and subsequent law suit during his unsuccessful race for a second term as governor in 1932.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Unrestricted access.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Ross Shaw Sterling Papers, 1930-1939, Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.

Detailed Description of the Collection