Jesse Driskill

About

Remembered for constructing the famous and allegedly haunted Driskill Hotel, which is Austin, Texas's oldest hotel and a National Register of Historic Places-designated site, Driskill eventually lost his fortune and turned ownership of the business over to his brother-in-law, Jim Day.

Before Fame

Before opening his hotel, he was a highly successful cattle farmer who provided beef for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.

Trivia

His hotel's restaurant is featured in the 2000 movie Miss Congeniality.

Family Life

Born to a family of Irish descent, he spent his early days in White County, Tennessee, and later lived in both Missouri and Texas. His marriage to the Georgia-born Nancy Elizabeth Jane Day produced six children.

Associated With

In the early 1930s, future United States President Lyndon B Johnson had his first dinner date with his soon-to-be-wife, Claudia Taylor, at the dining room of Driskill's hotel.