| Notes |
- He was named for his grandfather, oil baron Theodore Newton Barnsdall and was heir to the Barnsdall Oil Corporation fortune. He was the founder of Falcon Seaboard Drilling Co. and of Mid-Continent Airlines (which merged with Braniff Airways in 1952) and served on the board of Rice University from 1977-1980, and endowed the T.N. Law professorship in bioengineering there. He was a member of the Board of Governors of Rice University and the Board of Visitors at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The Theodore N. Law Endowment for Scientific Achievement is a part of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center's Scientific Achievement Fund. (The T.N. Law residence, designed by William H. Wolaver, built 1935 and located at 1841 E. 27th Street, Tulsa, OK is listed on the Tulsa Art Deco architecture website. http://www.tulsaarchitecture.com/ArtDeco.htm ) The Tryall Golf and Beach Club, Montego Bay, Jamaica was Ted Law's idea in 1957 and he was one its 5 original board of governors. http://www.tryallclub.com/story.htm
(Note re: Barnsdall Oil: Theodore's grandfather, Theodore N. Barnsdall, Sr. was a major figure in the development of the petroleum industry in Oklahoma. He drilled the second successful commercial oil well in the United States in 1859 and Barnsdall Oil Company was a major influence in the development of oil in the Osage Nation in Indian Territory / Oklahoma. The world's first oil refiner, he was a close friend of Osage Chief James Bigheart and in 1906 named a town in Oklahoma for him. In 1921, the town was renamed Barnsdall in his honor. The Barnsdall Oil Field is located near Barnsdall, Oklahoma -- 363327N, 0960902W. Barnsdall Oil Company was sold and became Cities Service Oil Company -- Citgo.)
obits:
TULSA WORLD Newspaper, Saturday, September 30, 1989
"LAW, THEODORE NEWTON, age 78, founder of Falcon Seabord Drilling Co., formerly of Tulsa, died Friday in Houston, Texas. Memorial services 2 PM Monday, St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, Houston. Services handled by George H. Lewis & Sons, Houston."
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A MORE DETAILED OBIT in the Tulsa World a few days later:
"LAW, THEODORE NEWTON, 78, a Houston resident since 1969, died September 29, 1989. Mr. Law was born December 3, 1910 in Pittsburgh, PA, the son of Robert Law and Frances Barnsdall. He was married to the former Jane Hodge of Greenwich, CT, who preceded him in death. They moved to Tulsa, OK in 1935, where he founded Falcon Seabord Drilling Company and resided until the company moved its headquarters to Houston in 1960. Falcon Seabord became one of the nation's largest drilling concerns, later diversified and was renamed Falcon Seabord, Inc., and merged into Diamond Shamrock Corporation in 1979.
"He is survived by his wife, CAROLINE WIESS LAW; a son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. T. N. LAW JR., Oklahoma City, OK; 4 grandchildren, KATHRYN CAROL LAUCK, JANE LAW, THEODORE BARNSDALL LAW, ROBERT INGRAM LAW; and 4 great-grandchildren.
"Memorial service at 2 PM Monday, October 2, 1989 at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, 2450 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, TX with Pastor Maurice M. Benitez, Bishop, Pastor Laurens A. Hall and John R. Pitts officiating. For friends wishing, memorials may be made to the charity of their choice."
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Texas oilman, GOP leader dies at age 79
Austin American-Statesman
October 1, 1989
Author: APAUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
HOUSTON (AP) - Oilman Theodore Newton "Ted" Law, a leader in the Texas Republican Party, died Friday at his home after a long illness. He was 79.
Law was a benefactor of Houston art museums and several other institutions.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., Law joined a brokerage firm in San Francisco in 1929 shortly before the stock market crash.
The death of his father in 1933 brought him to the oil business, and he founded Falcon Seaboard (sic) Drilling Co. in Tulsa in 1935. He moved the company's headquarters to Houston in 1960.
In 1978, Falcon was merged into Diamond Shamrock.
Law's first wife, Jane, died in 1960. The same year, he married Caroline Wiess Francis, whose father, Harry Wiess, was a founder of Humble Oil & Refining Co., which is now Exxon U.S.A.
Ted Law had been a member of the board of governors of Rice University and of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He also was a major contributor to local and national Republican political campaigns and causes.
Survivors include his wife and a son, Theodore N. Law Jr. of Oklahoma City.
A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Monday at St. John the Divine Episcopal Church in Houston. His burial will be private.
Edition: FINAL, Section: CITY/STATE, Page: B4
Dateline: Houston, Copyright,1989,Austin American-Statesman
(A similarly named exploration company, Falcon Seaboard, also based in Houston, is owned by David Dewhurst, who previously served as Land Commissioner and Lieutenant Governor of Texas. Dewhurst also owns the Falcon Seaboard ranches. It is unknown to this researcher whether there is any connection between Theodore Law's Falcon Seabord company -- which merged with Diamond Shamrock in 1979 -- and David Dewhurst's Falcon Seaboard.)
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1910 - 1989 (78 years)
