John Scharbauer
John Scharbauer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Albany County, New York, U.S. |
| Died | October 20, 1941 (aged 88) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Rancher, businessman |
| Known for | Ranching operations in Texas and New Mexico; founding Scharbauer Cattle Company; banking and oil investments |
John Scharbauer (December 28, 1852 – October 20, 1941) was a prominent American rancher who established a vast business network throughout the Southwestern United States. Originally from New York, he moved to Texas in 1880 and diversified his ventures to include banking, corporate investments, oil properties, real estate, and extensive ranching operations spanning four Texas counties as well as New Mexico.
Early life
Born on December 28, 1852, in Albany County, New York, Scharbauer was the son of a German immigrant. At the age of twenty-eight, in 1880, he relocated to Texas carrying US$2,000. To build local relationships, he initially took a job washing dishes at a restaurant in Eastland, Texas, which was the final railroad stop before his settlement area.
Career
With an initial investment of US$2,000, Scharbauer purchased 450 sheep and began raising them near Sweetwater, Texas. By 1882, he had moved to Abilene, Texas where he entered into a partnership with an investor. After his partner withdrew in 1884, Scharbauer transferred his sheep operations to Mitchell County, Texas. In 1885, together with David M. DeVitt, he acquired the Mallet Cattle Company and registered its brand in Hockley County, Texas; this enterprise evolved into the well-known Mallet Ranch.
In 1887, Scharbauer expanded by acquiring a ranch near Midland, Texas, in what is now Stanton, Texas. The following year, he shipped approximately 48,000 sheep to markets in Chicago. By 1890, he introduced the breeding of Hereford cattle to West Texas by importing stock from Illinois. Additionally, he raised Texas Longhorn cattle which were driven to Amarillo, Texas before being shipped north to Montana and Wyoming. As open-range grazing declined around 1892-1893, Scharbauer divested from sheep and concentrated on cattle ranching. His livestock earned multiple blue ribbon honors. He established the Scharbauer Cattle Company with its main office in Fort Worth and ranch operations based in both Midland, Texas and Hobbs, New Mexico. By 1939, his holdings included 10,000 sheep alongside 15,000 cattle.
In the financial sector, Scharbauer co-founded an early version of the First National Bank of Midland in 1890 alongside the Connelle brothers. During the Great Depression era, he remained on its board and successfully obtained a US$100,000 loan from a Fort Worth bank to support the Midland bank’s survival.
At the time of his passing, Scharbauer’s extensive business interests encompassed banking institutions, corporate stakes, oil properties, real estate holdings, and ranches distributed across four counties in Texas—Martin, Midland, Gaines, and Andrews—as well as in Lea County, New Mexico.
Personal life
Scharbauer was married to Kate Tompkins; the couple resided in Fort Worth, Texas. They had one daughter named Eusebia who married William C. Stonestreet. Kate passed away in 1935.
Death and legacy
John Scharbauer died at age eighty-nine from a heart attack on October 20, 1941, in Fort Worth. He was interred at Greenwood Memorial Park located there.
Prior to his death, arrangements were made for the sale of his Lea County ranch in New Mexico to rancher Millard Eidson in 1942. His nephew Clarence Scharbauer—who had served as vice president of the Scharbauer Cattle Company—assumed leadership as president following John’s death.