Notes for Ralph Campbell * Rupley: Ralph Rupley 1892-1967
Ralph Rupley was born on a ranch in Victoria, Texas. His family moved to Houston when he was eight years old. His mother died when he was nine, and his father died when he was seventeen. His older sisters Netta and Nan were largely in charge of the family of seven children.
Ralph's grandparents settled in Victoria when Texas was a Republic. His grandfather was a member of the ill-fated Mier expedition, which invaded Mexico in 1842. Most of its members were captured.
Ralph attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. He also worked for his older brother Ira in Fort Worth, in "ready to wear". He married Mildred Seele in San Antonio, before he went into the army. During World War I, he was a sergeant in the U.S. 90th Division and fought in France. (He served in the quartermaster corps we think, because he was color blind and couldn't serve on the front lines. The war ended November 11, 1918.)
Ralph opened his first store in 1923 with only five fur coats in a single room. This was located on the third floor above the old Queen Theatre at 800 Main Street in Houston. During the first few years, Mr. and Mrs. Rupley did mostly repair and restyling work on furs. Later this became Ralph Rupley Furs at 1000 Main Street in Houston. It was for many years the leading fashion fur store in Houston. This store eventually had a fur department, ready to wear, millinery, cosmetics, jewelry, and beauty salon. They also sold Jacqueline Cochran cosmetics. (Jacqueline Cochran was one of the first women aviators, and once took Ralph Jr. and Betty and Mildred for an airplane ride.) In 1962, the store leased the ready-to-wear to Everitt-Buelow, Inc.
Ralph and Mildred had three children, Betty Ruth, Ralph Jr, and Robert. They grew up on La Branch Street in Houston. Ralph purchased 40 acres of land at "Willow Lake", 12 miles outside of Houston off Katy Road, way out in the country at that time. This was later a place for many family picnics with the eight grandchildren, and two horses, Trigger and Princess.
From 1950 to 1955, Ralph and Mildred lived at Pine Lake Farm, a 100 acre property near Willow Lake with a white-columned, Southern mansion on a beautiful lake surrounded by pines and cypress trees. (This later became Lakeside Country Club on Westheimer Road in Houston.) Ralph and Mildred sold Pine Lake Farm and moved to live at the Warwick Hotel, near Rice University. They later bought a home on Bryn Marr Lane. Ralph purchased property on Post Oak Road in the "magic circle", which was the eventual location of the fur store, and was later sold by Ralph Jr. for the family inheritance.
Ralph Rupley, Sr. was a civic, social, and cultural leader in Houston. In addition to running the fur business with his two sons, he served as President of the Retail Merchants Association and was a member of the Houston Executive Club, the Rotary Club, and the Masonic Lodge AF&AM. He was also a Director of the Post Oak Bank in Houston. He was a member of the Knife and Fork Club, Houston Lodge 1187, Scottish Rite Bodies and the Arabia Temple Shrine. He was a member of the Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist.
His wife Mildred passed on in 1960, after almost 42 years of marriage.
In 1961 Ralph married Blanche Goodeere. They were married six years before he died. He was buried in Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery, in Houston. ______________________________________________________________________
Houston Blue Book (1983 edition) A Connoisseur's Guide to Houston's Finest Article on "Ralph Rupley Furs" (Page 24) 2319 S. Post Oak Road, Houston Texas 77056 713-622-3611
The Ralph Rupley Fur Store has served three generations of Houston families since 1923. During this time, the high standards of Rupley Furs have become a local tradition. The founders of the business, Ralph Rupley Sr. and his wife Mildred began selling, repairing, and restyling furs on the second floor of the old Queen Theatre building on lower Main Street. Since then, Rupley's has had various locations in downtown Houston. Currently, the store is located at 2319 Post Oak Blvd., in the City Post Oak area.
Ralph Rupley Jr. and his brother Robert have been operating the business for many years. New services have been added since the beginning., such as cold storage, fur cleaning, and glazing, and the sales of antique jewelry.
Uniquely, at Ralph Rupley Furs, a capable European furrier is available to advise and restyle fur garments. The silk finishers (Esther and Emily) have been with them for over forty years and have achieved a level of expertise unmatched in the region. The staff in the fur shoppe has years of experience at their highly specialized craft.
The sales staff are all qualified non-commissioned experts with the customer's better interests in mind. They will explain fur prices, current styles, trends and value. They can choose from a broad inventory, assuring the favorable selection to suit a customer's needs.
Recently the fashion has been domestically raised Natural Mink coats, or a jacket made of Lynx or red Fox for a sportive look, or Sable for the ultimate in high fashion. Rupley's carries the fashions of such designers as Anne Klein, Pierre Balmain and Adolpho. Our sales staff will find the right coat for the right buyer. With sixty years of fur business experience, the Ralph Rupley Fur Store is Houston's leading fur establishment. ____________________________________________________________________
HOUSTON A Chronicle of the Supercity on Buffalo Bayou by Stanley E. Siegel Produced in cooperation with the Harris County Historical Society Copyright 1983 Windsor Publications "Ralph Rupley Furriers" (page 262)
Ralph Rupley, Sr., born in Victoria, moved to Houston around the turn of the century with his family. Among his first jobs, in addition to schoolwork, was lighting the gas lamps in downtown Houston in the early 1900s. While still in high school, he delivered the Houston Post via horse and buggy.
After serving in the U. S. Army during World War I, he returned to Texas and attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, where he worked in a dress shop (owned by his brother uncle Ira). Thus began his interest in the retail business.
Moving to Houston in 1923, Rupley and his wife Mildred opened their first fur company in a second-story room over the old Queen Theater on Main Street. It was the style of the day to wear silver fox skins rounded rather than flat, with a silk lining. The Rupleys, who by now had two infant children who often slept in tissue-lined shipping boxes, began sewing the fox fur pelts together while stocking their first fur pieces.
Two German immigrants, Carl and George Stephanow, joined the Rupleys in 1929 and remained with the organization for more than 40 years.
Following World War II, Ralph Rupley, Jr., joined the furrier upon his graduation from Rice Institute. The store property was purchased by the First City Bank in 1958 (for $1 million as Millie recalls), and the company moved to the C&I building at Main and McKinney (across the street). Operations continued there until Ralph Rupley Furriers relocated to a new store built on a tract that is now adjacent to the present Post Oak Central Building.
As the Post Oak area grew in size and importance, the downtown store was closed, and the cold-storage vault was moved to a business park to accommodate the more than 8000 customers using the facility. The Post Oak property was sold in 1981, and the store moved across the street to the 2300 block of Post Oak.
Ralph Rupley Sr. died in 1967; the firm's operations have been managed since that time by Ralph Rupley, Jr., an attorney, with the assistance of his younger brother, Bob Rupley.
Today Ralph Rupley Furriers is one of the few large retail operations still controlled by the original family.
More About Ralph Campbell * Rupley: Comment 1: Lived at Pine Lake Farm 5 years. Comment 2: Twin brother of Robert Rupley. Comment 3: His Dad had a ranch in Victoria, TX. Comment 4: Worked for Ira in Fort Worth ready-to-wear. Education: Texas Christian Univ, 2 years. Ethnicity/Relig.: Christian Science. Event 3: Board of directors, Post Oak Bank; River Oaks Bank. Fact 5: Bought 2.4 acres at Post Oak road. Military service: 1918, Served in WW I in Germany as Sergeant 2 yr. Occupation: Leading Houston Furrier: Ralph Rupley Furs. Personality/Intrst: 10 Mar 1953, Presented award for Distinguished Service as President of the Retail Merchants Association of Houston, 1951-1952. Residence: La Branch St; Pine Lake Farm; Houston, TX.
More About Ralph Campbell * Rupley and Mildred Ellen * Seele: Marriage: 01 Jun 1918, San Antonio, TX. Unknown-Ending: Married in her home in San Antonio.
More About Ralph Campbell * Rupley and Blanche Middleton Goodere: Marriage: 18 May 1961, Houston, TX.
Children of Ralph Campbell * Rupley and Mildred Ellen * Seele are:
Ralph Campbell * Rupley (b. 03 Jun 1892, d. 11 Apr 1967)
Notes for Ralph Campbell * Rupley: