Clinton Manges

Clinton Manges (August 22, 1923 – September 23, 2010) was a controversial oil tycoon in Texas in the 1970s and 1980s.

Manges was born in Cement, Oklahoma, but began amassing his fortune in South Texas in the early 1970s when he befriended political boss George Parr, the "Duke of Duval." In 1971 he bought a 100,000-acre (400 km²) ranch in the county. [2]

Unlike most of his contemporaries, Manges was an unabashed liberal. In contrast, most Texas oil barons like Eddie Chiles, Bunker and Lamar Hunt, Clint Murchison, and Bill Clements were extremely conservative and supported Republican candidates. With his large fortune, Manges was soon one of the most prolific supporters of Democratic candidates in Texas. He would often donate $50,000 or more to various statewide campaigns. Paul Burka of Texas Monthly wrote of Manges in 1984, "By mastering the mysterious ways of South Texas, Clinton Manges has built an empire, amassed political influence, declared war on the state establishment—and left bitter enemies in his wake." He was also famously involved in an alleged conspiracy with Attorney General Jim Mattox to sue Mobil Oil after Mattox had received a donation from him of $125,000.

San Antonio Gunslingers

In 1984, Manges talked the fledgling United States Football League into granting him an expansion franchise, the San Antonio Gunslingers. Despite Manges' wealth, the Gunslingers were badly undercapitalized. His habit of paying team expenses out-of-pocket caught up with him in 1985, when his oil fortune collapsed (though he'd been in financial trouble since at least 1980). In the ESPN documentary Small Potatoes - Who Killed the USFL? that first aired on Tues. October 20, 2009, former Gunslingers quarterback Rick Neuheisel stated that during that season, the players would often race each other to the bank in order to cash their paychecks. According to Neuheisel, the players knew that the first 50% of the checks deposited were likely to clear, but that the other half would likely bounce.

In June, Manges essentially walked away from the Gunslingers and stopped paying the team's bills, forcing the team to play the last stretch of the season for free. When he refused to make restitution for the team's debts, league commissioner Harry Usher revoked the franchise. The players sued Manges to recover back pay, but that suit collapsed when he declared bankruptcy. It is not known if the players and coaches were ever fully paid.

Bankruptcy and prison

Manges' empire eventually collapsed and he was convicted and sentenced to prison for two years because of mail fraud. He also lost his 100,000-acre (400 km²) ranch to Chapter 11 bankruptcy.^[1] He died in San Antonio, Texas.

References

1. ^ [1]

• "The Man in the Black Hat." Texas Monthly. June 1984.
• "Two Party Texas. The John Tower Era." John Knaggs. 1986.
• "Oilman Manges Sentenced, Fined For Mail Fraud." Victoria Advocate. August 26, 1995
• Obituary

Persondata
Name	Manges, Clinton
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Date of birth	August 22, 1923
Place of birth
Date of death	September 23, 2010
Place of death