Location
John Lowery Phillips
Years: 1858–1934 | Role: Businessman | County: Harrison
Topics
Description
John Phillips was born in Kentucky, graduated from Marshall University, worked in the coal, ice, and banking businesses, and died in Lufkin. During his lifetime, he spanned the entire arc of attitudes toward Texas wildlife. In the 1880s and 1890s, Philips kept meticulous notes in his “Dead Game Record” of large harvests of upland birds, waterfowl and other wildlife. As Texas animal populations fell, though, his philosophy shifted. By the 1923-27 period, he was serving as president of the Texas Game and Fish Conservation Association (organized in 1922). Made up of sportsmen from across the state, the Association sought to unite regional sportsmen associations and support the Texas Game, Fish and Oyster Department’s policies, budgets and staffing, protect the agency from politics, and create a set of game refuges.
Location Notes
A marker for Phillips could be placed near his grave, in Section 4, Block B, Plot 1, in Greenwood Cemetery in Marshall, Texas.
Files
- "Call Meeting of Sportsmen," Marshall Morning News, Vol.5, No.65, Ed.1, P.4, 21 November 1923.
- "Dead Game Record of John L. Phillips of Marshall, Texas."
- "Directory of "Game Protection Officials - 1925," Department Circular 360, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- "Directory of Game Protection Officials - 1926," Department Circular 398, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- "John Phillips, Obituary," Houston Post. 31 December 1934.
- "Phillips Elected Head of Game Body," Lufkin News, Vol.18, No.37, P.1, 30 November 1923.
- "Texas Almanac and State Industrial Guide for 1927," P.286.
Archives
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John Lowery Phillips Papers are undergoing curation by Dr. William Godwin at Sam Houston State University and can be accessed by appointment. Participation in the curation process by interested scholars is encouraged.