W. E. Hayman

Co-founder of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company of San Antonio. Owner of Merchants Coffee Co. before the 1912 merger; president of Hoffmann-Hayman until his January 1920 buyout by the Menger family; co-incorporator of the parallel Tucker Coffee Company in the early 1920s.

Addresses

Period	Address	Source
pre-July 1913	331 East Park Avenue	1913-07-06 real-estate item
July 1913	Buena Vista and South Pinto Streets (bought from S. D. Seamonds via George W. Dietz Realty for $5,500; moved for “a permanent home”)	1913-07-06 real-estate item
1924 (at death)	1018 Kayton Avenue	hayman-death-notice-1924

Death

Died Saturday, August 9, 1924, at 1:15 p.m., at his residence, 1018 Kayton Avenue, San Antonio, Texas. He was in his 59th year, placing his birth at approximately 1865.

Funeral services were held Sunday afternoon, August 10, 1924, at 4 o’clock from the residence. Officiated by Rev. Frank S. Onderdonk, under direction of Hazy & McCollum. Interment at Mission Burial Park.

Pallbearers: J. Sutcliff, W. M. Marvin, Frank Cunningham, Hal Tucker, L. B. Stoner, H. S. Affleck.

Family

Wife: Mrs. Anna Hayman

Role in Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Co.

W. E. Hayman was one of the three original incorporators of the Hoffmann-Hayman Coffee Company, chartered February 5, 1912. He appears first on the list of incorporators in both the Express-News and Light reports.

Before 1912, Hayman owned the Merchants Coffee Company of San Antonio; the 1912 charter merged Merchants with William R. Hoffmann’s business (Hoffmann had died January 1912). The 1925 San Antonio Light industrial section retrospective on the firm corroborates the merger structure. Display copy immediately branded Hoffmann-Hayman as successor to “Wm. R. Hoffmann” and “Merchants Coffee” — see the 4 February 1912 announcement and 11 February 1912 West Commerce wholesale notice. Neither is a biography of Hayman, but together they establish the merged trade identity.

Origin and arrival in San Antonio

The 29 April 1917 Express-News feature states Hayman “came to San Antonio from West Virginia in 1910.” The 8 October 1915 Express-News travel note confirms his “old home” was Point Pleasant, W. Va. — he and Mrs. Hayman and “their family” returned from a five-week visit there by way of New Orleans just after the 1915 hurricane.

The 1917 article identifies him as “president, manager and treasurer” — he held all three roles simultaneously in that period.

Public spokesman, late 1910s

Through 1919, Hayman served as the firm’s public spokesman. The 11 November 1919 San Antonio Light feature on Hoffmann-Hayman’s growth and advertising campaign names “Mr. Hayman” throughout the quoted interview copy — stressing quality, same-day roasting and delivery, pride in San Antonio labor and institutions, and confidence in H & H Blend as a home product versus “imported brands” kept in warehouse (full column + transcription). The article also summarizes the consolidation history (Merchants + William R. Hoffmann Store seven years earlier) and locates the works in the Caffarelli Brothers block at North Medina and West Travis — context that overlaps the timeline’s 307 N. Medina chapter.

Morrison Coffee acquisition (1917)

While Hayman was still president, Hoffmann-Hayman acquired Morrison Coffee Co. in March 1917, consolidating operations at the Medina–Travis quarters. Site copy does not yet attribute the Morrison deal to Hayman personally; corroboration of his individual role would tighten the narrative.

Exit and Tucker Coffee Company (January 1920+)

January 1920 — Menger buyout. Hayman sold his interests in Hoffmann-Hayman to the Menger brothers. The 4 October 1925 San Antonio Light industrial section summarizes the transition: “In 1920, Mr. Hayman’s interests were taken over by G. P. Menger … and R. W. Menger … Mrs. William R. Hoffmann … retains her full interest and is vice president.” (post). After the buyout, G. P. Menger became president; R. W. Menger became secretary-treasurer; Minnie Menger Schlosser (then “Mrs. William J. Schlosser”) retained her VP role.

1921 — Tucker Coffee Company incorporation. Hayman appears as a co-incorporator with the Tucker family. Spice Mill (March 1921, p. 480) reports the incorporation in San Antonio with capital $25,000 and incorporators H. W. Tucker, H. H. Tucker, and W. E. Hayman.

1923 — Tucker Coffee charter granted. The 29 December 1923 San Antonio Light “Charters Granted” column (post) lists the Tucker Coffee Company, San Antonio; capital $50,000; incorporators Hal W. Tucker, H. H. Tucker, and W. E. Hayman. The 1921 Spice Mill notice is the first filing cited on the site; the 1923 charter may be an amended filing, capital increase, or refile worth confirming against Texas Secretary of State records.

Tucker operations. Address 422–424 Ruiz Street, San Antonio. Brand: Aviation coffee (documented on letterhead and the surviving Aviation tin lid — Aviation lid post). A circa-1920s Tucker Coffee letterhead lists officers A. B. Walker, C. A. Luafenburg, T. W. Willard, A. Walker, B. B. Dinius — Hayman is not named among the operating officers on that specimen, suggesting his role at Tucker may have been investor / co-incorporator rather than day-to-day management. Hypothesis pending corroboration by city directories or trade-press officer listings.

Interpretation. Tucker Coffee is a parallel San Antonio roaster/packer, not a predecessor of Hoffmann-Hayman. The narrative line on the site (after selling the H&H stake, Hayman invested in / co-organized Tucker) is supported. “Competition” between Tucker and the old firm is geographically and commercially plausible (both wholesale coffee in San Antonio) but not yet attested by a dedicated newspaper story of rivalry or any non-compete document; that framing is interpretive, not sourced.

Civic roles (San Antonio)

February 1913 — Named to the arrangements committee of the Jobbers and Manufacturers’ division of the Chamber of Commerce for a planned trade excursion (via the S.A., Uvalde & Gulf or Southern Pacific west of San Antonio). Other committee members included F. P. Caffarelli, W. M. Marvin, and D. J. Straus. (SA Light, 22 Feb 1913)
February 1916 — On the Manufacturers’ Club arrangements committee for a “Made-in-San Antonio” luncheon for the presidents of San Antonio’s 56 women’s clubs (15 Feb 1916). H. and H. coffee (Hoffmann-Hayman) was listed on the printed menu as the event’s coffee. (Express-News, 13 Feb 1916)
January 1919 — Quoted in The News (3 Jan 1919) supporting a Mexican trade bureau for San Antonio: “Mexico would turn naturally to San Antonio for certain lines of trade […]” Appeared alongside Col. F. A. Chapa, H. D. Elliott (SA Drug Co.), Max Goodman (Hertzberg), and Gus Giesecke (Liberty Mills).

Open questions

Birth year and early biography: the 1917 article establishes he “came to San Antonio from West Virginia in 1910” and the 1915 article places his “old home” as Point Pleasant, W. Va. — so his origin is confirmed as Point Pleasant, WV, but birth year remains unknown.
Pre-1910 Point Pleasant occupation. No on-site primary source documents what business Hayman was in before his 1910 move to San Antonio. His first documented San Antonio business is Merchants Coffee Co., which he owned before the 1912 H&H merger — so either he carried a coffee or wholesale-grocery trade with him from West Virginia, or he came to San Antonio with capital from a different line of work and bought into Merchants. The capital was substantial enough that by 1912 he was the lead incorporator of H&H ($20,000 corporate stock) and bought a $5,500 family home at Buena Vista and South Pinto in July 1913 — pointing to material wealth on arrival. Research angles: 1900 / 1910 federal census, Mason County, West Virginia (Point Pleasant); Point Pleasant Register business listings and social columns ~1895–1910; West Virginia Secretary of State business filings under the Hayman surname; Ohio/Kanawha river-commerce records (Point Pleasant sits at the confluence — coffee, wholesale grocery, river trade, and banking are all plausible).
Exact chronology between the January 1920 H&H sale and the March 1921 Tucker Coffee filing — any intermediate ventures.
Texas Secretary of State entity history for Tucker Coffee Company (1921 vs 1923 filings; whether the 1923 charter is an amendment or a refile).
San Antonio city directories 1920–1925: Hayman residence/office; Tucker office listings; whether Hayman ever appears as a Tucker operating officer.
Trade or local papers mentioning Tucker vs Hoffmann-Hayman explicitly (rivalry, customer overlap, ad copy comparisons).
Relationship (if any) to the Western Coffee Company (est. 1907).

H and H Coffee