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of Galveston

In this 1861 image, Colonel W. L. Moody is shown in his Civil War uniform. All photographs provided by the author.

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By E. Douglas McLeod

of GalvestonThe Moodys

Their History andImpact on the Island

This author, an attorney who began his career 50 years ago as a student working summer jobs for Robert L. Moody, patriarch of the famous Galveston family, offers an insightful look at this unassuming clan.

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Texans have been fascinated by the stories of great wealth and the ex-ploits of the Moody family of Galveston. This highly industrious but exceedingly reclusive family has bolstered its mystique by strict ad-herence to a motto, “publicity brings only kidnappers and tax collec-tors.” Thus, until recently, many histories of this Galveston dynasty have been written by authors who were either milk-fed pasteurized accounts from vanity books or who had gleaned juicy tidbits of mis-information from competing royal families of Galveston. And in a city where grudges are held for decades and patricians list their en-emies in their last wills and testaments, there may never be an end to amusing gossip about the Islanders’ favorite topic: the billonaire Moody clan whose members so few have actually met.

W.L. Moody in 1852.

1917 photo of Shearn Moody, Sr., and his father, W.L. Moody, Jr. Shearn served in both the Army and Navy during World War I.

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In 1866, a young University of Virginia-trained lawyer and Confederate war hero W.L. Moody brought his family to Galveston, and since that time he and his

descendants have played a major role in the island’s color-ful past. William Lewis Moody, or “the Colonel,” would be one of many 19th-century adventurers to land on Galveston Island and contend with its considerable bare-knuckle chal-lenges; however, he, his son W. L. Moody, Jr., and descendant Robert L. Moody would, nevertheless, become among the coastal community’s most prosperous inhabitants.

The Moodys may not have been met by the fierce and can-nibalistic Karankawa Indians, as was Spanish explorer Ca-beza de Vaca in 1528, but many rough-and-tumble decades lay ahead for them. This 27-mile long sandbar once called Isla Malhaldo, the Island of Misfortune, had been christened Galveston in honor of Don Bernardo de Gálvez, a Spanish hero of the American Revolutionary War. Years later, Galves-ton would be occupied by infamous pirates, like Jean Lafitte, who were attracted to this natural deepwater port and its

unique geography. Galveston Island would briefly become the capitol of Texas in 1836, as well as the location of an important Civil War battle in 1863. By the late 1800s, the island would be one of the largest cities in Texas and would be known as “The Wall Street of the Southwest,” with more mil-lionaires per capita than all cities in the United States at that time except Newport, Rhode Island. Colonel W. L. Moody would be at the forefront of this period of immense prosperity in early Texas, a boom era that survived the rigors of radical reconstruction, killer fires, hurricanes, and yellow fever epi-demics.

W.L. Moody was 24 years old when he left his family’s 113-acre farm in Virginia to come to Texas in 1851. The farm had made enough money to send William to law school and his brother David to medical school. With the considerable sum of $100 in his pocket, William took a steamboat to New Orleans where he met a fellow University of Virginia Law School graduate, and together they booked passage on a steamship to Galveston. After finding themselves in a rug-

1918 photo of Libbie Moody (Thompson) and husband (future U.S. Congressman) Clark W. Thompson in his Marine uniform. Congressman Thompson served in the U.S. Marines in both world wars.

1953 photo of rancher W. L. Moody, IV and his grandfather, W. L. Moody, Jr.

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ged mud town named Houston in 1852, William’s friend and classmate was killed in an argument, and Moody was advised to move on, or he too might meet the same demise. After purchasing a horse with the last of his money, the young man traveled to Centerville, then on to Fair-field, Texas, where his mount died. Moody checked into a hotel but after staying a few days confessed to the owners that he could not pay for his room and asked for a job. He told the proprietor that he was a law school graduate. The innkeeper, who could neither read nor write, in-dicated to Moody that he had always wanted to be a lawyer. The hotel owner, thereafter, became the managing partner of a law firm the two men created, with Moody doing the legal work. Many years later, the Colonel enjoyed telling that story and noting that his senior partner was probably the first in recent history who could neither read nor write.

For a while, William L. Moody practiced law, but in 1861 he left his practice and his bride of one year, Pherabe Brad-ley, to fight in the Civil War. Commissioned as a Confed-erate captain in the Seventh Texas Infantry Regiment, W. L. Moody saw much action. He survived a prisoner-of-war camp early on in the conflict, but after being exchanged, was severely wounded in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1863. His war experiences allowed Moody to observe many other places throughout the South, and that knowledge prompted his relocation from Fairfield to Galveston Island. As the lead-ing port and largest city in Texas in 1866, this place offered the best opportunity for the Moodys and their one-year-old

son, William Lewis, Jr. After their move, Colonel Moody shifted from a law career to one in the mercan-tile business. He quickly became a successful cotton merchant and civic leader and was instrumental in expanding the port city and bringing rail service to Galves-ton. In 1874, he was elected as a Democratic member of the Texas Legislature and was later appointed the fiscal agent for the State of Texas during Gover-nor Richard Coke’s administra-

tion. He successfully obtained a market for Texas securities in New

York—the first such bonds issued since the Civil War—and thereby

reestablished Texas’ nonexistent credit rating. Colonel Moody, a tall, distin-

guished man who died a millionaire at age 92 in 1920, was instrumental in the birth of

Galveston as a major financial center. He is also remembered as the very able tutor of the individual who

would become one of the wealthiest men in United States his-tory, his son W. L. Moody, Jr.

If the Colonel was considered wealthy at the beginning of the 20th century, then no one at that time could have imag-ined the fortune his son would one day amass. William Lewis Moody, Jr. was not the same dashing figure as his father, but he was equally brilliant. As a boy, he attended, among other schools, Hollins Institute in Roanoke, Virginia, and Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. Later he studied and traveled extensively in Europe. Upon returning home, W.L., Jr. entered the University of Texas to study law. At age 21, he became a partner in his father’s cotton firm, and within three years,

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he persuaded Colonel Moody to allow the addition of a banking department to the firm. In 1890, W.L., Jr. mar-ried Libbie Rice Shearn of Houston (the “first Libbie”) and briefly lived in New York City, where he worked on behalf of his fam-ily’s business interests. Although Moody was commissioned a colonel in the Texas National Guard in 1895, he did not use the title frequently, preferring not to call atten-tion to himself. In 1900, W.L., Jr. and Libbie acquired their stately home at 2618 Broadway in Galveston, now a museum in their honor, where they raised four children: Mary Moody Northen; W. L. Moody, III; Shearn Moody, Sr.; and Libbie Moody Thompson (see page 15 for more information about the siblings and their children).

W. L. Moody, Jr. would further expand the family’s cotton and banking businesses; acquire ranches, hotels, and newspa-pers; and create the Moody Foundation for the benefit of all Texans. However, it was his founding of American National Insurance Company in 1905 that would generate a huge for-tune, provide thousands of jobs, and help fund many future philanthropic endeavors. The Wall Street crash of 1929 had little or no harmful effect on ANICO, thanks to the ultra-conservative financial strategies of W.L. Moody, Jr. His as-sumed risks were nearly always calculable and manageable, and the savvy businessman generally shied away from highly speculative oil or real estate deals. For decades, W.L., Jr. had avoided attention, but upon his death in 1954, his fortune amounted to a staggering $440 million, a sum that dwarfed the holdings of many old moneyed families in the Northeast.

The next 30 years, with oldest sibling Mary Moody Northen at the helm of the fam-ily’s interests, produced mixed results. Under Mary’s leadership, the giant Moody Founda-tion became a conveyor of generosity through-out the state and heav-ily funded the fledgling historical restoration

movement in Galveston in the 1970s. She strived to maintain the family’s various business enterprises just as she thought her father would have wished. However, due more to political circumstances in Texas, and certainly not because of Mary’s actions, control of the Moody Foundation, Moody National Bank, and the golden goose—American National Insurance Company—ended up in the hands of outsiders. Their loyalty to Galveston and its Moody-based businesses was virtually absent. Enter Mary’s nephew, Robert Lee Moody, Sr., who, through a series of court battles and gutsy business moves, was able to regain family control of the empire, primarily in the late 1970s and the 1980s.

Galveston Island stood still the week Mary Moody Northen died in August 1986. A family that had made such an impact on the city and state for more than a century was in transi-tion, and no one knew what to expect. Rumors abounded that

By the late 1800s, the island would be one of the largest cities in Texas and would be known as “The Wall Street of the Southwest,” with more million-aires per capita than all cities in the United States at that time except Newport, Rhode Island. Colo-nel W. L. Moody would be at the forefront of this period of immense prosperity in early Texas…

Photos above, left to right: 1899 photo of Col. W.L. Moody, seated, W. L. Moody, Jr., standing, and W.L. Moody, III, in front; 1910 photo of W.L. Moody, Jr., seated, and his sons W.L. Moody, III, left, and Shearn, Sr., on right; 1954 photo of mourners as they flocked to pay their last respects for the deceased W.L. Moody, Jr., at his 2618 Broadway Street home. Inset: 1911 photo of Mary Moody Northen.

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the Moodys would again lose control of American National Insurance Company, but this speculation was proven wrong. After Mary’s death, Robert officially stepped into a leadership role that he had de facto held for a decade or more, and the family retained control of the nationally renowned company. The situation could have been very different if Robert had not become the brightest pupil of his grandfather’s lessons.

Robert was the younger son of Mary’s brother, Shearn, who had died young in 1936. Robert grew up with his older brother, Shearn, Jr. and their mother Frances in Galveston’s Cedar Lawn neighborhood. In 1948 he entered Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania where he graduated as the highest-ranking cadet in his class and as captain of the regi-mental staff. A handsome, wiry kid and good athlete, Robert was a member of the wrestling team in high school and ex-celled in both team and individual sports. After Valley Forge, Robert attended the University of Houston for a year before entering the U.S. Army. His willingness to serve as an enlist-ed man did not surprise his friends. As with his grandfather, Robert’s refusal to call attention to himself and rest on his laurels were attributes that he would forever maintain.

The impact of the Moody family on Galveston has been immense, and much of their success in most recent decades can be linked to Robert L. Moody. He has been the spark be-hind the growth of American National Insurance Company, and in 1956, he also founded National Western Life Insur-ance Company (of Austin), both of which are now multibil-lion-dollar enterprises. His Moody National Bank now has 21

branches, while the family’s hotel chain has expanded to 13 trophy properties, including the historic Menger Hotel in San Antonio. But it’s not all business for Robert, whose proudest philanthropic accomplishments have involved development of the Transitional Learning Center for the brain injured and the $600 million Moody Gardens project.

People may often wonder how the Moodys have main-tained their wealth for so long, when many other rich fami-lies have lost their affluence in just two or three generations. Some might suggest that every generation of Moodys has produced heirs who were actively involved in the family’s business holdings and who were not inclined to merely cash dividend checks, cut ribbons, and attend galas. More likely, the Moody family’s enduring success seems to be founded upon a shared, dedicated work ethic coupled with shrewd business acumen and cautious ambition. However, those close to the Moodys say that there have been those in the family who, like the dynasty’s founder, Colonel William L. Moody, were bestowed with an innate vision enabling them to see the “big picture”—and this gift has served them well for more than 150 years. H

Left: 1953 photo of Senior Cadet Robert L. Moody at Valley Forge Military School. Original is in color. Above: Robert and Ann Moody and seven of their eight children on vacation at Lake Tahoe in 1969.

E. Douglas McLeod is a Galveston attorney who was “born on the island.”

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Further recommended reading from the author Among some of my favorite authors who have written about Galveston and its Moody connections and who should be credited herein are Charles Hayes, David McComb, Gary Cartwright, Bob Nesbitt, Bill Cherry, and Patrick Butler. High on my list, how-ever, and full disclosure here—I participated in the project—is the recently published book The Moodys of Galveston and their Mansion by Henry Wiencek.

GENERATIONS OF GALVESTON MOODYS• Mary Moody Northen had no children but succeeded her father in the family busi- nesses following his death.

• W. L. Moody, III preferred ranching in the Texas Hill Country and lived in San Antonio. His son. W. L. “Bill” Moody, IV became a successful rancher and oil investor.

• Shearn Moody, Sr., a promising young businessman, died suddenly of pneumonia after a mid-winter trip to Chicago. His youngest son Robert would eventually take the Moody business empire to soaring new heights in the 21st century.

• Libbie Moody (the second one) married Clark W. Thompson, a U.S. Congressman, and today her descendants, the fourth and fifth generation of “Libbies” still live in Galveston.

Update: Treviño-Uribe Rancho Work Moves ForwardThere is good news to report out

of South Texas on a project taking place in the San Ygnacio Historic District. This project is one that can use positive reinforcement, following an episode in which the front of the Treviño-Uribe Rancho, a National Historic Landmark, was damaged with asphalt spray dur-ing a road improvement project in 2010 (see photo, center). That struc-ture is part of a small community on the north bank of the Rio Grande River founded in 1830 by Jesus Treviño that includes some of the last standing sandstone structures in this country from the Mexican Colonial era.

River Pierce Foundation Executive Director Christopher Rincón reported that the insurance claim for the construction accident has now been settled, a check for damages was deliv-ered, and the cleaning of the facade will begin in January 2012, pending review by the Texas Historical Commission.

Restoration of the larger site is also moving along. In August 2011, River Pierce Foundation, the group overseeing the proj-ect, initiated a preliminary investigation by an archeology team

using ground-penetrating radar. This scientific examination will provide vital information to guide preserva-tionists in the restoration, including which historical period to establish as the basis for the restoration. The results of the report are also under review, and actual restoration work is set to start shortly after the new year.

Furthermore, September marked the certification of the Treviño-Uribe Rancho as the first official partner site

on the National Historic Trail’s El Camino Real de Los Tejas.Certification offers River Pierce Foundation technical support from the National Park Service.

Because the restoration work will present certain safety haz-ards commonly associated with a construction site, the founda-tion plans to open a visitors center adjacent to the landmark so that the public can enjoy interpretive displays about the settle-ment. After December 4, the center will be open Thursday through Sunday from noon-6 p.m. Anyone wishing to donate to the project should call 956-765-5784 or the Texas Historical Foundation at 512-453-2154.

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