Capt. John Hughes-Texas Ranger - El Paso, Texas
Capitan John Hughes - Guardabosques de Texas - El Paso, Texas

Capt. John Hughes-Texas Ranger - El Paso, Texas

In 1886 several horses were stolen from his and neighboring ranches. Hughes trailed the men for several months, killing some of them and capturing the rest. He returned the stolen horses to their owners. His feat gained the attention of not only the outlaws but also the Texas Rangers. In July 1887, Hughes helped Texas Ranger Ira Aten track down and kill escaped murderer Judd Roberts. In August 1887, Hughes was persuaded to join the Texas Rangers. He had risen to the rank of sergeant in Company D Frontier Battalion by 1893. When their Captain, Frank Jones, was killed in June 1893, Hughes was promoted to captain of Company D. For most of his career, Hughes served along the border of southwest Texas. In 1901, when the Frontier Battalion was abolished and the State Rangers created, John Hughes was selected as one of the four Captains of the new companies. He served until his retirement in 1915. During the 28 years he was a Ranger, Hughes dealt with a wide variety of cases including thefts at the Shafter silver mines, cattle rustlers, horse thieves, murders and even the Maher-Fitzsimmons prize fight. He was known as "the border boss." John Hughes never married. He spent his retirement years prospecting and traveling by automobile. He was also involved in the banking industry, becoming chairman of the board and largest stockholder of the Citizens Industrial Bank of Austin, but he continued to live in El Paso. In 1940 John R. Hughes received the Certificate of Valor, an award commemorating the the bravery of peace officers. He moved to Austin to live with a niece, and on 3 June 1947, after living through the end of the frontier and two world wars he committed suicide at the age of 92. He was buried in the State Cemetery in Austin, Texas.

Area: Central / Downtown

Source: El Paso County Historical Society

Reference ID: 013-1983-148

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Vikki Carr in 2009, El Paso, Texas

Vikki Carr is holding a speech in 2009 after she was give the ...

Vikki Carr in 2009, El Paso, Texas

The picture shows the actress and singer Vikki Carr after the ...

Fourth of July Fireworks 1

The picture was taken during the Fourth of July celebrations in ...

Fourth of July Fireworks 2

The picture was taken during the Fourth of July celebrations in ...

Fourth of July Fireworks 3

The picture was taken during the Fourth of July celebrations in ...

Fourth of July Fireworks 4

The picture was taken during the Fourth of July celebrations in ...

Humphrey Entourage during Presidential Campaign in 1968

This picture shows parts of the entourage of Hubert Humphrey, ...

Downtown during Sunrise in 2009

The picture captures the downtown area during sunrise. It was ...

Toltec Club Building

Built in 1910 for the eight-year-old men's club, the Toltec Club ...

Union Bank & Trust Building - El Paso, Texas

The Union Bank & Trust Building was situated on 104 San Antonio ...

Scottish Rite Temple Interior - El Paso, Texas

The image shows the interior of the Scottish Rite Temple during ...

Dancers during Scottish Rite Temple's Celebration

The picture captures folk dancers during the Scottish Rite ...

Downtown with Rainbow in 1990

The picture shows the downtown area with a rainbow in 1990. The ...

Downtown with Rainbow in 2010

The picture shows the downtown area in 2010 enclosed by a ...

Plaza Hotel from Mesa Street

The picture captures the Plaza Hotel from Mesa Street. With its ...

Plaza Hotel, El Paso, TX 1976

The picture from 1976 shows some of the historic buildings in ...

Popular Dry Goods Co. Store

In 1903 the Popular Dry Goods Co. store was founded by Adolph ...

Downtown Post Office

The classical building of the downtown post office was built in ...

County Detention Facility

The Downtown Detention Facility is located at 601. E. Overland, ...

Cortez Building - 2014

The Cortez Building is located on the northeast corner of North ...

El Paso County Courthouse

El Paso, Texas -- El Paso County Courthouse.

County Courthouse, El Paso, TX, circa 2014

El Paso Court House in El Paso, Texas.

The present El Paso County Courthouse

El Paso Municipal Court is located in 810 E Overland, El Paso, ...

home.search_collection