Hughes, John R. (John Reynolds), 1855-1947

Texas Ranger. John Reynolds Hughes, was born on February 11, 1855 in Henry County, Illinois, to Thomas and Jennie (Bond) Hughes. In 1865, the family moved to Dixon, Illinois. Later they moved to Mound City, Kansas. At the age of 14 Hughes left home. After a brief time working on a neighboring cattle ranch, he headed for Indian Territory. He lived among the Choctaw and Osage Indians for four years; in 1874, he moved to the Comanche Nation. After several years of trading in the Fort Sill area, he purchased a farm near Liberty Hill, Travis County, Texas and began raising horses. In 1886, he set out after and brought to justice some horse thieves who had stolen horses from him and his neighbors. His success caught the attention of the Texas Rangers, and he was persuaded to enlist. He was sworn in August 10, 1887 and assigned to Company D, Frontier Battalion at Camp Wood. He served mainly on the Texas-Mexico border and for many years was headquartered at Ysleta, Texas. He was made a captain in 1893, after his superior officers were all killed by bandits. He retired on January 31, 1915. He spent his later years prospecting and traveling by automobile. Although he became chairman of the board of directors of the Citizens Industrial Bank of Austin, he maintained his residence in El Paso. He was the first recipient of the Certificate of Valor in 1940, an award for bravery of peace officers. He never married; he died June 3, 1947.