Together, they had three children: Ellen Carolyn, Benjamin Howard, and John William Jr. His son "Johnny" was killed in an automobile accident when he was a freshman at the University of Texas in 1934.
His son's best friend, and cousin was Walter Allen (Al) Dealey Jr. who had lost his father in the previous 12 months.
[citation needed] Seven years after starting work, he climbed to the position of president and general manager of Corsicana Gas and Electric Company.
Along with Amon Carter, his friend from Fort Worth, he planted around two million pine seedlings on his farms, and upheld the support for the Trinity River, despite constant floods and droughts that had been common in the past.
He was a major supporter in the introduction of legislation that formed the Trinity River Authority.
He held a commission as Major in the U.S. Army Officers Reserve Corps and received an honorary LL.D.