O’Connor Family | No. 16
587,800 ACRES
The O’CONNOR RANCH encompasses portions of Goliad, Refugio, and Victoria counties in Texas’s Coastal Bend. Founded by Irish immigrant Thomas O’Connor (1817-1887), the County Wexford native owned approximately 100,000 head of cattle and half-million acres by the time of his death. O’Connor’s philosophy? “Buy land and never sell. Land can’t die, and it can’t run away.” While drilling for water, Tom’s son Dennis Martin O’Connor (1839-1900) discovered oil, further enhancing the family’s fortunes. To this day, descendants of D.M. O’Connor oversee operations.