C.C. Slaughter

Christopher Columbus Slaughter (also known as C. C. Slaughter or Lum Slaughter; February 9, 1837 – January 25, 1919) was an American rancher, cattle drover, cattle breeder, banker and philanthropist in the American frontier. After serving in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War of 1861–1865, he came to own 40,000 cattle and over one million acres of ranch land in West Texas. He became the largest taxpayer in Texas, and used his wealth to endow Baptist institutions. He was known as the "Cattle King of Texas".

Early life Christopher Columbus Slaughter was born on February 9, 1837, in Sabine County, Texas. His father, George Webb Slaughter (1811–1895), was a Baptist minister and rancher; his mother was Sarah (Mason) Slaughter (1818–1894). At the age of twelve, he took up cattle handling on the Sabine River and the Trinity River.

Shortly after the civil war, Slaughter explored Mexico with Goodnight and four other companions. In 1873, he founded C. C. Slaughter and Company, a cattle breeding firm. In 1884, Slaughter established the American National Bank, later known as the American Exchange National Bank, now part of First National Bank. Indeed, by 1905, he owned 40,000 cattle and oversaw over a million acres of land in West Texas by 1905. For example, he owned the Long S Ranch, but also the 25,000-acre Lazy S Ranch and the 17,000-acre Zavala Ranch, formerly part of the Mallet Ranch, as well as the Whiteface Ranch near Lubbock, Texas. For years, he was the largest taxpayer in Texas. He also served as vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention and a member of the executive board of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. It has been known as the Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas.

Personal life Slaughter married Cynthia Anna Jowell (1849–1876) in 1861, at the beginning of the civil war. They had five children. He then remarried, to Carrie Averill (1861–1928) in Emporia, Kansas in 1877, and they had four children.

In 1910, he became crippled after he broke his hip. He also had a debilitating loss of eyesight.

Death and legacy Slaughter died on January 25, 1919, in Dallas, Texas. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Dallas. Shortly after his death, his son Bob Slaughter accused his uncle Bill Slaughter (C.C.'s brother), who managed the Long S Ranch, of trying to sell the Western S Ranch in Hudspeth County, Texas to Mexican ranchers, even though the ranch belonged to his son. As a result, Bob shot his uncle; this resulted in a US$3 million slander suit filed by the uncle against his nephew Bob. By 1921, his heirs divided his Long S Ranch and other land holdings, and sold them.

One of his daughters, Nelle (Slaughter) DeLoache, married Ira P. DeLoache (1879–1965), the real estate developer who founded Preston Hollow.

Secondary sources Clarke, Mary Whatley. The Slaughter Ranches and Their Makers. Austin: Jenkins, 1979. Murrah, David J.. C. C. Slaughter: Rancher, Banker, Baptist. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1981; 2nd edition published by the University of Oklahoma Press, 2012.