TOMBSTONE TUESDAY - SHERIFF D.B. HALLIBURTON (1902-1970)

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY - SHERIFF D.B. HALLIBURTON (1902-1970)

For more than four decades, Durhmon Bernice Halliburton dedicated his life to serving the people of Texas and, ultimately, the citizens of Calhoun County. His career carried him from hauling freight with a horse-drawn dray to supervising state highway projects before culminating in twelve years as Calhoun County sheriff. Through hurricanes, the opening of a modern courthouse and jail, high-profile criminal investigations, and the rapid growth of the county during the Alcoa era, Halliburton became a familiar and trusted public servant whose steady leadership helped guide the community through a period of tremendous change.

Durhmon Bernice (D. B.) Halliburton was born on July 12, 1902 in Waelder, Texas to Elam Mims and Annie Stokesberry Halliburton. He appears in the 1910 census living in Gonzales County. D. B. was listed as 7 years old and was the second of five children. Elam’s father was born in North Carolina and his mother was born in Mississippi. Annie’s parents were both born in Missouri. Elam and Annie were both listed as born in Texas. D. B.’s father was a farmer who owned his own farm. Two of Elam’s brothers lived with the family and worked as laborers on their brother’s farm.

By the 1920 census, Elam was the owner of a blacksmith shop. The family had grown to include a total of nine children, Minnie, 19, Durhmon, 17, Alton, 15, Ethan 13, Ester, 11, Mabel, 9, Tyler, 7, Wilbur, 5 and Evelyn Joy, three months. Son Robert was born April 1, 1918 and died May 29, 1918. D. B. was listed as a drayman in the freight industry. This meant he hauled freight using a horse and cart called a dray.

On November 5, 1921, D. B. married Edith America Hunter in Waelder, Texas. Their first daughter, Bernice Edith, was born May 27, 1923. On April 15, 1924 they welcomed twin girls, Catherine Lee and Margaret Joy. Both girls died and were buried in Waelder. Daughter Madeline Lucille was born March 5, 1926. By the 1930 census, the family was renting a house in Gonzales for $15. D. B. was listed as a foreman for the highway department. Ten years later, in the 1940 census, D. B. was still working as a foreman for the highway department, but the family now lived in Port Lavaca having moved to town on December 1, 1931. He was earning $1800 a year.

By the 1950 census, both daughters had left the house, but there were five additional people in the home. One, Linda Falcon, was a three year old granddaughter while four others were lodgers. Two female lodgers, one born in Nevada and one born in California, worked as stenographers at an aluminum company, likely Alcoa which had opened two years earlier. Two male lodgers, both born in Texas, worked in the oil field. D. B. still worked for the State Highway Department, a job he would have for 31 years.

In the February 13, 1950 issue of The Victoria Advocate, an article appeared titled “Halliburton Named Head of Public Works”. D. B. had been elected president of the Texas Public Employees Association. This national organization had approximately 17,000 members with the Victoria Chapter 1 made up of Victoria, Calhoun and Jackson counties having about 70 members.

D. B. was elected sheriff tax assessor-collector by a landslide in November 1956 taking office on January 1, 1957. During his time as sheriff, D. B. investigated a variety of different crimes. In November 1957, Sheriff Halliburton questioned a 16 year old boy accused of making lewd and obscene phone calls to school girls and young women in Port Lavaca. In May 1959, Sheriff Halliburton investigated the hanging death of a 14 year old boy in Port Lavaca. His opinion was that the death was caused by a prank gone wrong and no foul play was expected. By December 1959, Sheriff Halliburton was investigating burglaries at The Pharmacy and BB Stamp Store who both had lost money and merchandise. In December 1962 Sheriff Halliburton was involved in the recovering of stolen oil and gas survey maps valued at $800,000. He learned of the theft while interrogating a suspect in another burglary. The suspect was taken to Refugio for a lie detector and the maps were recovered in Athens, Texas. By March 1964, Sheriff Halliburton was searching for a fugitive who crashed a 4 seater plane into Matagorda Bay. Halliburton was reelected in 1960 and 1964 leaving office in 1968.

Two major events happened in Calhoun County during Sheriff Halliburton’s time in office. In 1959, the new $1,000,000 courthouse and jail opened. An article in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times in 1964 that interviewed Halliburton mentioned all of the modern and innovative features of the jail. He clouted the cleanliness and security of the facility. The article was titled “Chances of Jailbreak Slim in Port Lavaca”. At that point in time, Halliburton had incarcerated 3,716 inmates in the old and new jail during his tenure. On September 11, 1961, Hurricane Carla made landfall near Port O’Connor. A Category 4 storm, it was the second biggest storm to hit Texas after the hurricane that destroyed Indianola in 1886. 

On March 8, 1970, Durham Bernice Halliburton died in Port Lavaca. His death certificate lists his cause of death as coronary occlusion due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, diabetes and anemia. After a service held at the Richardson Funeral Home Chapel led by The Reverend James Mayfield from the First United Methodist Church, he was buried in the Port Lavaca Cemetery with graveside services conducted by the Victoria Chapter of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The 1970 Calhoun County Youth Rodeo was dedicated to his memory as he was a longtime supporter of the annual event.

D. B. Halliburton's legacy is measured not only by the office he held but by the decades he devoted to public service. From thirty-one years with the State Highway Department to three terms as sheriff, he earned a reputation for integrity, dependability, and commitment to his community. His career coincided with some of the most significant events in Calhoun County's twentieth-century history, including Hurricane Carla and the construction of the county's new courthouse and jail. Even after his passing in 1970, the community honored his service by dedicating the Calhoun County Youth Rodeo to his memory—a fitting tribute to a man who spent his life working to make Calhoun County a better and safer place for future generations.

Written by Jennifer Shafer Wyatt

The Victoria Advocate

Corpus Christi Caller-Times