McCarthy, ‘King of the Wildcatters,’ Dies

Glenn Herbert McCarthy, an oilman known as “King of the Wildcatters” and the man who built the legendary Shamrock Hotel, died in a nursing home complex, it was learned today.

He died Monday, one day before his 81st birthday. A funeral home spokesman said the family had not released a cause of death.

McCarthy started as a laborer, but at his pinnacle no one fit the image of the freewheeling, high-living Texas oilman better than he did. He provided the inspiration for oilman Jett Rink in the book and movie versions of “Giant.”

He was dubbed “King of the Wildcatters” by World War II journalist Ernie Pyle and was said to have made and lost two fortunes in the oil business. He estimated that he drilled more than 1,000 wells, most of them in Texas.

He also built the now-defunct Shamrock Hotel, which he opened on St. Patrick’s Day, 1949, to showcase Houston to the world, he said.

The $21-million, 18-story hotel was opened with a flamboyant party. The guest list of 3,500 people included a trainload of movie stars as well as Texas high society.

The Houston Chronicle reported that it was estimated that more than 100 multimillionaires attended the party.

The ceremonies, which cost McCarthy $1 million, included a live radio broadcast with Dorothy Lamour. Financial problems later forced McCarthy to sell the Shamrock, which was torn down last year.

“The Shamrock was recognized immediately upon its opening,” he later said, “and then the city of Houston was certainly brought into the picture. It was a lot of work, but the only way that I could see to let the general public all over the world--the traveling public--see what we did have and what Houston was about was to get them here.”

In his heyday, McCarthy lived in a mansion with his wife and five children and surrounded himself with celebrities and politicians. In addition to the oil business, he tried his hand at movie producing, directing a major airline and acting as owner of a newspaper chain and a radio station.