Waite Phillips

Waite Phillips at Villa Philmont near Cimarron, NM, 1940. Courtesy Tulsa Historical Society and Museum.

Inducted: 1943

Hometown: Tulsa

Patron of the Philbrook Museum of Art

In 1938, Waite and Genevieve Phillips shocked Oklahoma and the world with the donation of their family home to the City of Tulsa to serve as an art center. 

From left, Wiley Post, Waite Phillips holding a child, and Will Rogers. Courtesy Tulsa Historical Society and Museum.

In the 1920s, while enjoying success in the oil and gas industry, Phillips wanted a villa inspired by his travels through Europe. For Phillips, this dream became a reality in 1929 upon completion of the mansion. To commemorate the moment, the Phillipses hosted a celebration to rival those described in The Great Gatsby. According to partygoers, it felt like the entire city of Tulsa was present. Despite the Prohibition, Phillips indulged his friends and neighbors with opulent food and alcoholic beverages, reportedly costing him $25,000. 

Waite Phillips, second from left, next to his brother, Frank Phillips, center. Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

Following the donation of Villa Philbrook, Phillips agreed to give an additional $50,000 to convert the mansion into an art center. These donations to Tulsa established one of the first nationally-recognized museums in Oklahoma when the Philbrook Museum of Art opened its doors to the public in 1939. For Oklahoma's cultural landscape, Phillips' donation signaled a growing movement of philanthropy amongst Oklahoma's oil and gas magnates. 

Philbrook Museum of Art, featured in the Chester R. Cowen Collection. Courtesy Oklahoma Historical Society.

© 2020 Oklahoma Hall of Fame
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