William Thomas Waggoner
| William Thomas Waggoner | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 31, 1852 Hopkins County, Texas |
| Died |
December 11, 1934 (aged 82) Fort Worth, Texas |
| Occupation | Rancher, oilman, banker, horsebreeder, philanthropist |
| Spouse(s) | Ella (Halsell) Waggoner |
| Children |
Electra Waggoner Guy Waggoner E. Paul Waggoner |
| Parent(s) |
Daniel Waggoner Nancy (Moore) Waggoner |
| Relatives | Sicily Ann (Halsell) Waggoner (stepmother and adoptive mother) Albert Buckman Wharton III (great-grandson) |
William Thomas Waggoner (August 31, 1852 – December 11, 1934) was an American rancher, oilman, banker, horsebreeder and philanthropist from Texas. He was the owner of the Waggoner Ranch, where he found oil in 1903. He was the founding President of the Waggoner National Bank of Vernon. He established the Arlington Downs and paid for the construction of three buildings on the campus of Texas Woman's University.
William Thomas Waggoner was born on August 31, 1852 in Hopkins County, Texas. His father, Daniel Waggoner, was a rancher. His mother was Nancy (Moore) Waggoner. His paternal grandfather, Solomon Waggoner, had been a cattleman, farmer, and horse and slave trader.
In 1869, when he was only eighteen years old, his father gave him US$12 and asked him to drive five thousand steers to Abilene, Kansas. He sold them for US$5,000. By 1879, he became the manager of the ranch holdings in Wilbarger County, Texas, near China Creek.
Upon his father's death in 1902, he inherited landholdings in Wise County and Wilbarger County as well as Clay County, Wichita County, Foard County, Baylor County, Archer County and Knox County. Waggoner also used part of the Big Pasture in Oklahoma, which he leased from Comanche Chief Quanah Parker. In 1905, alongside rancher Samuel Burk Burnett, he went wolf-hunting with President Theodore Roosevelt on the Big Pasture. The two ranchers were hoping to persuade him to keep the land 'open range.' However impressed President Roosevelt was with the adventure, that did not happen.
...
Wikipedia