Born in Madisonville on February 16, 1896, Jubal Richard "J.R." Parten became a pioneer in the American oil industry and earned a reputation in local, state, and national politics. After studying government and law at the University of Texas, he graduated, married Opal Woodley in 1917, and soon joined the army, rising to the rank of major. After World War I, he joined his father-in-law in organizing the Woodley Petroleum Company in 1919, beginning a career in the petroleum industry that lasted more than seventy years. He remained active in the affairs of the University of Texas and in national politics, serving on the university's board of regents from 1935 to 1941 and receiving a distinguished alumnus award in 1987. During World War II, he served as director of the Transportation Division of the Petroleum Administration for War, responsible for delivering needed oil for the war effort, and he also took part in postwar negotiations at the Potsdam Conference. In 1950, President Harry S. Truman called on him to organize the Petroleum Administration for Defense during the Korean War. Over his lifetime he held many public service positions representing his country, state, and county. He divorced Opal in 1947, married Patsy Edwards Puterbaugh, and they had two children. He also gave generously to Madison County, donating multiple tracts of land for an elementary school, hospital, and the Madison County Library. He died on November 9, 1992, and was buried in the Madisonville Cemetery.