Garner Hugh Tullis
| Garner Hugh Tullis, Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 4, 1893 St. Joseph, Tensas Parish Louisiana, USA Resident of New Orleans |
| Died | February 18, 1966 (aged 72) Resting place: |
| Spouse | Mary Lee Brown Tullis (married 1916-1966, his death) Children: |
| Military Service | |
| Service/branch | United States Coast Guard Reserve |
| Years of service | World War II |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel in the Port of Orleans Security Volunteer Force |
Garner Hugh Tullis Sr. (April 4, 1893 February 18, 1966), was a businessman and civic leader from New Orleans, Louisiana, who formed his own brokerage firm, Tullis, Craig & Bright, and became a partner of E. F. Hutton & Company. He was also a nationally known yachtsman who won the races in 1930, 1932, and 1948 between St. Petersburg, Florida, and Havana, Cuba.[1]
Tullis was born in St. Joseph in Tensas Parish, the smallest in population of the sixty-four parishes, located along the Mississippi River in northeastern Louisiana, to the attorney and landowner, Judge Hugh Tullis (1857–1931) and the former Mellie Belmont Watson of Jefferson County, Mississippi.[1] His cousin, Joseph Tullis Curry]] (1895–1961), was a state representative for Tensas Parish from 1930 to 1944.[2]
Tullis arrived in New Orleans at the age of sixteen and worked his way from messenger in a cotton firm to become the principal cotton trader in the whole city. Employed by John F. Clark & Company, he later formed his own brokerage company and then became the Hutton partner in New Orleans. He was a founder of the Louisiana and Southern Life Insurance Company (later Charter Security Life Insurance). He chaired the board of the company until his death.[1][3]
During World War II,[4] Tullis served as a lieutenant commander in the United States Coast Guard Reserve and as commander of the Port of Orleans Security Volunteer Force.[1]
Tullis married the former Mary Lee Brown (1897–1984) on October 6, 1916. Their children were Malcolm McCullough Tullis (1917–1985), Mary Lee Tullis (1919–2006), Garner Hugh Tullis Jr. (1923–1930), and Eli Watson Tullis (born 1928).[1][5]
In 1939, Tullis purchased a historic home Biloxi, Mississippi, for use as a summer home. It subsequently became known as the Tullis-Toledano Manor. After its sale to the city of Biloxi in 1975, it became a popular museum and local attraction. Many young couples were married on the beautiful grounds of the manor. It was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005.
In 1935, Tullis "ruled" the New Orleans Mardi Gras as Rex, the King of Carnival. His interest in yachts led to his becoming the commodore of the Southern Yacht Club. He died while cruising with his wife off the Gulf of Mexico near Apalachicola in Franklin County, Florida, aboard his yacht Windjammer.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Dictionary of Louisiana Biography - T - Louisiana Historical Association (lahistory.org), accessed April 30, 2021.
- ↑ Matthew Reonas, Once Proud Princes: Planters and Plantation Culture in Louisiana's Northeast Delta, From the First World War Through the Great Depression, p. 27 (Baton Rouge":Louisiana State University dissertation, December 2006).
- ↑ Garner Hugh Tullis (1893-1966) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed April 30, 2021.
- ↑ It is unclear why Garner Tullis fought in World War II, rather than [[World War I]. He was twenty-four years of age when the United States entered the war.
- ↑ Mellie Belmont Watson Tullis (1861-1917) - Find A Grave Memorial, accessed April 30, 2021.