Caddo County,Oklahoma Biography - Billingsley -------------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ Submitted by: Sandy Miller ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Taken from The Anadarko Tribune January 5, 1928) A FORMER OKLAHOMA BOOTLEGGER WHO BROKE WORLD BUILDING RECORD When metropolitan business circles heard the report, some four years ago, that the Bronx was to have the largest apartment building in the world, they were frankly skeptical both of the fact and its practicability. But Logan Billingsley, the man back of the proposition, knew what he was about. He had been buying and selling, studying and developing Bronx real estate for four years, and those who came in contact with him realized his ability. He was able to convince the big banking houses of New York, and to finance the apartment house, which cost $2,500,000. This was the Theodore Roosevelt apartments. It contains 800 living apartment homes of from three to eight rooms each, with one to three baths. There are 1,200 outside rooms, with fine modern equipment and handsome decorations. The structure covers thirty-six city lots, and has a landscaped patio garden, a playground for children, banquet hall, cafe and dining room, police service, maid service and garage service. It is owned and operated by the Billingsley Holding Corporation of which Logan Billingsley is the head. Not only has it proved a profitable venture in itself, but it was a decisive point in the great realty development of the Bronx district during the past few years. Scarcely yet middle age, Logan Billingsley has led a colorful and active life, which has brought him to a notable business and financial success. Some time before 1889, Robert Billingsley, farmer, loaded a few household goods in a covered wagon, tied the cow behind, and with his wife and children set out from Claiborne county, Tennessee, on the long trek to the Indian Territory. The family lived at several places in the Indian Reservations, and after the opening in '89, in Oklahoma. At Enid and at Anadarko, the boy Logan attended the public school and he went to Oklahoma University for a time. There was plenty of work for the farmer's boy, of course, and little privilege in those pioneer days. By the time he was twenty-five e had tried out various occupations - blacksmith, steam engineering, traveling salesman, book agent, cowboy, gambling. Then he entered the civil service as an employee; next, insurance and he became state manager for the North American Insurance Company in Oklahoma. For some time he owned and operated a thriving drug store in Oklahoma City. In fact, it is in this direction that the recollections of most Oklahomans of Logan Billingsley run. This drug store, located on West Main street just east of the Huckins Hotel, was the scene of many raids by city and county officers during those days, on account of alleged illicit liquor dealing. Mr. Billingsley's explanations of his activities along that line are both interesting and enlightening. They are given further on in this article. After leaving Oklahoma City he ventured further afield and tried the moving picture business in Seattle, Washington; automobile business in Detroit; electric light and power in Winnipeg, Canada, always with some success, though, not in a big way. Nome, Alaska, Los Angeles and Miami, Florida held him for brief periods. His next settled location was Havana, Cuba, where for several years he operated an export and import business. This he sold in 1919 for $150,000 cash. Footloose then, he went to New York. He had no expectation of remaining there. But since it is a world business center, he believed it the most likely place to discover a new business venture that might appeal to him. He found it rather by accident. He decided to bring his mother from Oklahoma, and looked about to buy a home for her. He found a suitable house and grounds in the Bronx and he found, too, his own career. Opposite his mother's frame home was a large tract known as Berkeley Oval, mostly undeveloped wilderness. This he purchased, divided and sold out, principally as sites for large apartment houses. Thus he became established in the realty business, and since that time he has been an important figure in the development of that district. He has seen it grow from an unimportant suburb to a great residential district. The building of the huge Theodore Roosevelt apartment house established the prestige in the city of New York. In the eight years he has become wealthy. One of his latest real estate operations was the auction sale of tracts which brought $2,000,000. He is the head of this real estate division of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, and head of twenty-three corporations and syndicates. He is an active worker for civic betterment. This fall he was chairman of the committee in charge of the Kiddies' Frolic celebrated in the six parks of the Borough, under the auspices of the chamber of commerce. Logan Billingsley has no political ambition, so he says. His activities have been various, but politics never has been one of them. He has taken part in but one crusade, or movement, which he originated. To understand his explanation of this, one must get the perspective. He grew up in Oklahoma Territory, where saloons were lawful and flourishing. But the growing commonwealth demanded statehood, and after a long and arduous struggle an enabling act was obtained from congress. It provided for the admission of Oklahoma and Indian Territories as a single state, which was the desire of a majority of the people. But certain restrictions were impassed on Indian lands, and a further proviso of the enabling act required that intoxicating liquors be banned from the Indian Territory portion for a period of twenty-one years. This of course was the continuation of the laws long in force against supplying liquor to Indians. The constitutional convention agreed that it would be vexatious and impractical to have one half of the state wet and one half dry. Therefore, along with the constitution the convention submitted to the people a prohibition act which should be effective in the Oklahoma Territory portion for twenty-one years. It carried by a good majority, and Oklahoma came into the union as a dry state. Many friends of the saloon, however, argued that the vote was obtained by the undue influence of the Indian Territory dryproviso, and that it did not properly represent the wishes of the people. The ancient dictum that a promise or concession obtained by duress is not morally binding was strongly pleaded. That appealed to Logan Billingsley. He was perhaps in that stage of young manhood which takes to heart the intellectual ideas of freedom and as yet is untempered by stern racticality or a realization of the social necessity of restrictions on the individual; the spirit that makes our 'college reds' today. He believed in 'personal liberty' and he disbelieved in that law. And he had a courage to fight it. His method was original and straight forward. He advanced the theory that the prohibition law could only be eliminated by ignoring and breaking it, and that it was an unpopular law brought about by fanatics, and that the bootleggers were performing a patriotic duty by supplying the public with a commodity which had an economic demand, which was hard to procure, and which was demanded and used by the best people in the nation. So, at Anadarko, in 1908, he organized the National Bootleggers' Protective Association, and he was elected its president. He remained in this office until after the passage of the national prohibition amendment. And the organization grew from the few men at Anadarko to a membership of 227,000 and included citizens from Maine to California, and from Seattle to Miami, Florida. Though still a believer in his principles, he admitted defeat, resigned as president and withdrew from the work of the organization. Logan Billingsley today is the successful business man, who does his part as a citizen and as a leader in a large sphere In addition to his place as chairman of the real estate division of the chamber of commerce, he is president of the Greater New York Extension Association, Inc.; founder and resident of the Subway Village Association; and member of the board of governors of the J.W. Brown Association. In social clubs he belongs to the New York Athletic Club, of which he is a life time member; the Miami County Golf Club and the Winged Foot Golf Club in New York City. Other hobbies other than golf are hunting, fishing, traveling and yachting. Mr. Billingsley has been twice married and has two sons, Glenn, nineteen years old, and Logan, Jr., aged six. Thus from a pioneer boyhood in Oklahoma, Logan Billingsley, before his forty-third birthday has become builder and head of a great business in real estate, commercial banking and building, a man of recognized place and standing in New York. This article was taken from the Harlow's Weekly by the Anadarko Tribune. NOTE; Logan Billingsley's first marriage was in Caddo county (Marriage Book #1). He, along with his father,Robert W. Billingsley, was accused of murdering his father-in-law, Andrew C. Wheatley, in Caddo County in 1905. He was given four years in the penitentiary for second degree manslaughter. He and his father are buried in Memory Lane Cemetery. Read more about him in the 1905 newspaper articles.