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

Double Rainbow over downtown El Paso

Double rainbow over downtown El Paso

9-11 Memorial Ceremony October 11, 2001

Hundreds of people gathered at the El Paso Civic Center on ...

9-11 Memorial Ceremony October 11, 2001

Shock and grief but tremendous pride were the feelings that most ...

9-11 Memorial Ceremony October 11, 2001

A makeshift memorial was created outside the Civic Center where ...

9-11 Memorial Ceremony October 11, 2001

Civic leaders and ordinary citizens gathered together to honor ...

My Children at 9-11 Memorial Ceremony October 11, 2001

My children sharing their pain and grief but also their hope and ...

El Paso History Museum

History Museum Pop Culture 2013

El Paso History Museum

Segundo Barrio Exhibit 2013 - El Paso History Museum - El Paso, ...

I Am El Paso

I Am El Paso 2014

Fan Fiesta 2014

In Character 2014

El Paso It's All Good

#ItsAllGoodEP 2014

El Paso It's All Good

2014 #ItsAllGoodEP Rally

Junior League Christmas Fair 2013

Junior League Christmas Fair 2013

Keep El Paso Loco 2013

Keep El Paso Loco 2013

Kidspalooza

Kidspalooza 2011

Fan Fiesta 2014

Fungi Mungle 2014

El Paso Mural 2014

El Paso Mural 2014 This photo was taken inside the Rubin ...

Neon Desert Music Festival 2014

Neon Desert Music Festival 2014

Neon Desert Music Festival 2013

Neon Desert Music Festival 2013

Plaza Theater 2014

Plaza Theatre (2014) is in El Paso Texas.

home.search_collection