Water Rails & Oil - Historic Mid & South Jefferson County

Reared in Nova Scotia, within sight of the
Atlantic Ocean, Captain Roderick D. Steele
went to sea at an early age, and worked his
way to become a ship captain with a “Master of
All Oceans” license. In 1900 he retired to
Port Arthur, one of his favorite ports of call,
and became involved in the marine insurance
business, providing protection for
hulls, liability and cargo. The National
Cargo Bureau of New York appointed
him as its representative for the ports
of Sabine, Orange, Beaumont and
Port Arthur, to make certain ships
were properly loaded to prevent cargo
shifts at sea.
In 1924, Captain Steele hired
Julian Salter, a young Port Arthur
College graduate who had previously
worked as a butcher, oilfield roughneck,
and Texas Company refinery worker.
Salter was a natural in the insurance
business. The firm, which also sold
real estate, became known as
Steele, Salter & Company. Their
biggest transaction involved sales of
small sections of Interurban right-ofway
that had cut through hundreds
of back yards and lots in Port
Arthur. When the rail was discontinued,
the property was sold to adjoining
property owners.
In the late 1930s, E. A. Bunge, a
Dutch land banker, opened a branch
of the Holland-Texas Hypotheek
Bank that replaced loans previously
provided by Port Arthur Land Company
and Port Arthur Town Site Company.
Salter and Elizabeth Ballard became
bank officers, and Bunge joined the
insurance firm, which became Steele,
Salter, and Bunge.
The insurance agency grew under
Julian Salter’s leadership, diversifying
into all aspects of insurance, and
becoming Julian Salter Company.
One of Salter’s two sons, Julian
“Clayton” Salter, became active in
the agency in 1952, and still serves
as an advisor to the agency. Slater’s
other son, Neil T. Salter, chose
automobile finance.
The Julian Salter Insurance Agency, located at
3230 Central Mall Drive in Port Arthur is now
owned by Clayton’s son, Stuart Salter, who has
twenty-two years’ experience in the industry. It
offers all types of insurance and insurance
products, as well as risk management and loss
control safety programs.
JULIAN SALTER
INSURANCE
AGENCY
❖
Above: Julian Salter.
Below: Captain Roderick Steele.
Sharing the Heritage ✦ 93