Houston, Wilmer Willis (1869-1964) | Sargeant Memorial Collection

Name: Houston, Wilmer Willis (1869-1964)

Historical Note: Wilmer Willis Houston was a major Norfolk civil leader and public speaker of the 20th century. Born on February 10, 1869 in Sadsbury Township in Chester, Pennsylvania, from 1886 to 1887 he was a schoolteacher in Chester County, Pennsylvania. From 1887 to 1904 he was in the publishing business in Philadelphia and briefly in Chicago, until his interests shifted to managing coal mines. For eight years he managed mining companies in Mingo County, West Virginia, then was an export agent for Houston Coal Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, founding its southern branch in Norfolk, Virginia. Afterwards, Houston co-managed the Pan-Handle Coal Company. He was also the local export agent for George E. Warren Corporation (a coal wholesaler based out of Boston) and for several steamship companies. In 1928, Houston retired from the coal business and he financed and led the Norfolk Industrial Commission in saving the naval town’s failing economy through diversification of industries, and convincing prospects that Norfolk had business potential. In 1928, Houston was the first person to receive the Cosmopolitan Club’s “First Citizen of the Year” award. In 1963, the Virginia National Bank elected Houston to the advisory board for the City of Norfolk. He played a vital role in transforming Virginia Beach into a tourist attraction, and in setting up a $1.1 million revolving fund which boosted the Tidewater economy. Houston was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Norfolk Maritime Exchange and secretary of the Hampton Roads Shipper’s Association. He was an active member of many clubs, including the Rotary Club, the Boys’ Club, and several country clubs. Houston was a life member of First Presbyterian Church and Olivet Masonic Temple. He died at 95 years old on February 17, 1964, leaving behind a $1.8 million legacy to be distributed among the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, Randolph-Macon Women’s College (funding a chapel in his wife’s name), and the Norfolk Boys’ Club, which built its second branch with the donated money that year, on Azalea Garden Road. Wilmer Willis Houston was buried in the Oxford Cemetery in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Records or Manuscript Collections Created by Houston, Wilmer Willis