Thomas Gilcrease facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Gilcrease
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| Born |
William Thomas Gilcrease
February 8, 1890 |
| Died | May 6, 1962 (aged 72) |
| Nationality | Muscogee (Creek) Nation, American |
| Occupation | Oilman |
| Years active | 1922–1962 |
| Known for | Founder of Gilcrease Museum |
| Spouse(s) |
Belle M. Harlow
(m. 1908; div. 1924) |
| Children | 3 |
William Thomas Gilcrease (born February 8, 1890 – died May 6, 1962) was an American oilman, art collector, and generous giver. He gathered over 10,000 artworks, 250,000 Native American artifacts, and 100,000 rare books. His collection even included a special copy of the Declaration of Independence. He started the famous Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1971, he was honored in the Hall of Great Westerners.
Contents
The Life of Thomas Gilcrease
Early Years and Family Roots
Thomas Gilcrease was born on February 8, 1890, in Robeline, Louisiana. His mother, Mary "Elizabeth" Vowell Gilcrease, was a member of the Muscogee Nation. Soon after Thomas was born, his family moved to Indian Territory. They wanted to get land given to members of the Creek Nation. The family lived near Eufaula, Oklahoma. Thomas's father ran a cotton gin in Mounds, Oklahoma.
Thomas's early schooling was simple, in one-room schools. People sometimes called him "Indian Tom." He went to Bacone College, where his teacher, Alexander Posey, taught him about art, science, writing, and his American Indian heritage. He learned about the Trail of Tears and important leaders like Sequoyah and Sitting Bull. He also learned how to make bows and arrows and hunt. After Bacone College, he went to Kansas State Teacher's College in Emporia, Kansas.
Around 1900, the government divided Indian Nation lands into private plots. Because Thomas was 1/8 Creek, he received 160 acres of land when he was nine. This land was about twenty miles southwest of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1905, oil was found in that area. His land was on top of the huge Glenn Pool Oil Reserve. This made Thomas a millionaire by the time he was twenty years old.
He was a smart businessman. He started the Gilcrease Oil Company in 1922. With his early success, he bought more land. He moved his company's main office to San Antonio in 1937. He also had an office in Europe. In 1949, the company's main office moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
His Family Life
On August 22, 1908, Thomas Gilcrease married Belle M. Harlow, who was part of the Osage Nation. They had two sons: William Thomas Gilcrease, Jr., born in 1909, and Barton Eugene Gilcrease, born in 1911. Their marriage ended in 1924.
On September 3, 1928, he married Norma Smallwood, who was Miss America in 1926. Thomas and Norma had one daughter, Des Cygne Lamour Gilcrease, born in 1929. Their marriage ended in 1934.
Collecting Art and Facing Challenges
In the 1920s and 1930s, Thomas was inspired by European art museums. He started collecting oil paintings and other items from the American West in 1922. His collection grew a lot, especially after 1939.
In 1946, the Sioux Nation honored him. They made him an honorary tribal member and gave him the name Wicarpi Wakatuya, meaning "High Star."
In the 1950s, oil prices dropped, which caused money problems for Thomas. He had spent a lot on his collection. To keep his collection together, he offered to sell it in 1954. The people of Tulsa quickly helped. They voted to use city money to pay his debts, so the collection stayed in Oklahoma.
Thomas Gilcrease passed away from a heart attack on May 6, 1962. His funeral followed traditional Indian customs. He was buried in a special building on his estate, where his mother was also buried.
The Gilcrease Art Collection
Thomas Gilcrease spent his life gathering a huge collection of American art, Native American art, artifacts, and documents. He started collecting art from the American West in 1922. At that time, not many people were interested in Native American or Western art. Thomas supported many Oklahoma artists, including Woody Crumbo (Potawatomi), Acee Blue Eagle (Muscogee Creek), and Willard Stone. Their works are now part of the collection.
In 1943, Gilcrease moved to San Antonio and opened the Museum of the American Indian. This museum was also known as the Gilcrease Museum. However, not many visitors came to the San Antonio location. In 1947, he bought the entire collection of Phillip G. Cole, a collector from New York. This added many bronzes and paintings by Charles Marion Russell and Frederic Remington to his collection. It also included photos by Edward S. Curtis and important papers from famous people in the American West.
Gilcrease hired an architect named Alexandre Hogue to design a museum. It was built on land he bought in Oklahoma in 1914. In 1949, he opened the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art on this land. For the rest of his life, Gilcrease lived in a stone house next to the museum. This house was surrounded by a garden with plants used by local Native American tribes.
In 1954, people in Tulsa worried that the Gilcrease Museum might be sold and leave the city. So, a group of citizens organized a vote. Tulsa citizens voted to approve $2.25 million to pay Gilcrease's debts. In return, Gilcrease gave his entire collection to the City of Tulsa in 1955. He also gave the museum buildings and grounds to the city in 1958. He even promised to use money from his oil properties to help maintain the museum until the city's debt was paid off.
After giving the collection away, Gilcrease kept funding archaeological digs and buying more items. These new items were given to the museum when he died in Tulsa on May 6, 1962.
The Gilcrease Museum Today
The Gilcrease Museum, also called the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, has one of the world's largest collections. It includes fine art, artifacts, and historical papers about the American West. The museum is in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Its grounds have 23 acres of themed gardens that show different gardening styles from the American West. Thomas Gilcrease's home in Tulsa and his burial place are also on the grounds.
Tulsa voters approved $65 million in 2016 to fix up and make the museum bigger. However, plans changed to building a completely new museum for $83.6 million. This was because rebuilding the old museum would be too expensive. The old building is expected to be taken down, and the new one started in 2022. The new museum is planned to be finished by early 2025. Thomas Gilcrease's house and his mausoleum will stay.
