Area of land that was part of the Tidelands controversy
Martin A. Row (1901-1995) was employed by Sun Oil Company as a land man in 1924. After finishing his law education in 1930, he was assigned to the Southwest division’s legal department. Row was Sun Oil Company’s lead lawyer in the Texas Tidelands case in the late 1940s and early 1950s. By 1960, Martin was special counsel for domestic regulatory and natural gas matters. He then became special counsel for foreign production operations in 1961. Martin A. Row retired from Sun Oil Company in 1966.
The Martin A. Row Collection (1766-1957; nine boxes) consists of documents, maps, pictures, articles, books, correspondence, and legal pamphlets belonging to Attorney Martin A. Row. The collection includes legal briefs and arguments concerning Sun Oil Company as well as Martin A. Row’s professional notes on Padre Island and photographs of the Texas coast. The collection also contains Martin A. Row’s personal books and a small amount of his professional correspondence concerning the Texas Tidelands case.
The Tidelands controversy between the United States and Texas involved submerged and coastal lands in the Gulf of Mexico. The focus of the dispute was the royalties and leasing of the submerged lands of Texas and whether the rights belonged to the Federal government or the Texas government.
View a detailed finding aid of his collection at Sam Houston State University’s Archon page and see just what materials are in the collection.
Out of the Box! 