No. 16 O’Connor Heirs
587,800 acres
By the time of his death in 1887, Irish immigrant Thomas O’Connor (1817—1887) owned half a million acres in Southeast Texas and close to 100,000 head of cattle. His philosophy? “Buy land and never sell. Land can’t die, and it can’t run away.” Son D.M. O’Connor (1839—1900) discovered oil while drilling for water, further solidifying the family fortune. Descendants oversee operations at O’CONNOR RANCH, which stretches across Goliad, Refugio, and Victoria counties.
