Haley, J. Evetts (James Evetts), 1901-1995

Born July 5, 1901. Raised in Midland, Texas. Worked his family's ranch along the Pecos River. Graduated West Texas State University. Fired from University of Texas in 1936 for denouncing President Roosevelt. Director of Institute of Americanism at Texas Technological College. Known for his books and articles on Southwestern frontier. Author of A Texan Look at Lyndon: A Study in Illegitimate Power (1964).

Born July 5, 1901, in Belton, Texas, Haley moved with his parents, John and Julia (Evetts) Haley, to Midland at an early age. He graduated from West Texas State and University of Texas with B.A. and M.A. degrees and invested in rangelands and cattle in West Texas and Arizona. Known for his numerous books and articles on the Southwestern frontier and its heroes, Haley became involved in Texas politics and made an unsuccessful bid for the governor's chair in 1956. For several years he was field secretary of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon and later established the Haley Library in Midland in memory of his wife Nita, who died in 1958.

Established in 1882, the XIT Ranch was owned by members of the Capitol Syndicate, a group of investors who received land in the Panhandle region in return for financing the construction of a new capitol building. The syndicate created the ranch in order to make a profit from the land before it would be sold. The previously unsettled land of the XIT Ranch spanned nearly 220 miles. Herds of longhorn cattle were raised on the ranch, and the name XIT is derived from the brand that Abner P. Blocker designed that could not be easily changed if any cattle were stolen. At its peak, the XIT Ranch reportedly had over 150 cowboys who rode over 1000 horses and branded 35,000 calves a year. The members of the ranch had considerable influence in local politics, and its reputation and size earned the ranch a prominent place in western histories.

In 1927, the Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Company hired James Evetts Haley (1901-1995) to write a history of the XIT Ranch. Two years later, he published The XIT Ranch of Texas and the Early Days of the Llano Estacado . Although the book gained a great deal of popularity, it incited several libel suits against Haley due to his depictions of various cowboys, ranchers, and events at the ranch. In 1931, the first suit was tried in Lubbock, and although Haley was acquitted of all charges, he agreed to withdraw the book from the market and paid the remaining plaintiffs $17,500.

Sources:

Anderson, H. Allen. XIT Ranch. Handbook of Texas Online . Accessed December 17, 2010. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/apx01 .

Price, B. Byron. Haley, James Evetts, Sr. Handbook of Texas Online . Accessed December 17, 2010. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fhahj .

Established in 1882, the XIT Ranch was owned by members of the Capitol Syndicate, a group of investors who received land in the Panhandle region in return for financing the construction of a new capitol building.

The syndicate created the ranch in order to make a profit from the land before it would be sold. The previously unsettled land of the XIT Ranch spanned nearly 220 miles. Herds of longhorn cattle were raised on the ranch, and the name XIT is derived from the brand that Abner P. Blocker designed that could not be easily changed if any cattle were stolen. At its peak, the XIT Ranch reportedly had over 150 cowboys who rode over 1000 horses and branded 35,000 calves a year. The members of the ranch had considerable influence in local politics, and its reputation and size earned the ranch a prominent place in western histories.

In 1927, the Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Company hired James Evetts Haley (1901-1995) to write a history of the XIT Ranch.

Two years later, he published The XIT Ranch of Texas and the Early Days of the Llano Estacado. Although the book gained a great deal of popularity, it incited several libel suits against Haley due to his depictions of various cowboys, ranchers, and events at the ranch. In 1931, the first suit was tried in Lubbock, and although Haley was acquitted of all charges, he agreed to withdraw the book from the market and paid the remaining plaintiffs $17,500.