Sinclair, John Lang, 1879-1947

John Lang Sinclair was born near Center Point, Texas, on November 26, 1879 and raised on a dairy farm in eastern Bexar County. Sinclair attended the University of Texas and was an active member of the university band and Glee Club; served as editor of the campus literary magazine and the literary section of the Cactus yearbook; and played football. In March 1903, Sinclair wrote the verse for "The Eyes of Texas," set to the tune of "I’ve Been Working on the Railroad," on a scrap piece of laundry paper. Sinclair’s friend, Lewis Johnson, had been encouraging him to write a song for the university. His first attempt in 1902, "Jolly Students of the Varsity," was well received by students. The next year, though, Sinclair tried again and drafted "The Eyes of Texas." After significant revisions inspired by then UT President William L. Prather’s admonition to students that "the eyes of Texas" were upon them, the song was performed by the Glee Club quartet on May 12, 1903 at a university band minstrel show. Sinclair accompanied the quartet on banjo. The song’s popularity led to its eventual adoption as the official song of the University of Texas when in 1936 the UT Students’ Association had it copyrighted.

After graduating from UT in 1904, Sinclair tried farming near Artesia Wells in La Salle County. He returned to work on his family’s dairy farm with his brother in 1908. Around 1923, Sinclair moved to New York City, where he became a partner in a tax and investment advisory service and, in 1945, married Stella C. Anderson (1888-1959) of San Antonio. Sinclair died in New York on January 4, 1947, and is buried with his wife in the Masonic Cemetery in San Antonio.