Thomas Lloyd Burnett (1871–1938) was an American rancher from

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. He owned of land.

Early life

Thomas Lloyd Burnett was born in 1871 in

Denton County, Texas Denton County is located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 906,422, making it the seventh-most populous county in Texas. The county seat is Denton, Texas, Denton. The county, which ...

. His father,

Samuel Burk Burnett Samuel Burk Burnett (January 1, 1849 – June 27, 1922) was an American cattleman and rancher from Texas, owner of the 6666 Ranch, and namesake of Burkburnett, Texas. Early life Samuel Burk Burnett was born on January 1, 1849, in Bates Cou ...

, was the owner of the

6666 Ranch The Four Sixes Ranch, stylized as 6666 Ranch, is a ranch in King County, Texas, as well as Carson County and Hutchinson County. Location The main section of the ranch is located near the town of Guthrie in King County, Texas.Wichita County, Texas Wichita County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 129,350. The county seat is Wichita Falls. The county was created in 1858 and organized in 1882. Wichita County is part of the Wichi ...

with his parents in 1875, when he was four years old.H. Allen Anderson, "BURNETT, THOMAS LLOYD," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fbu98), accessed November 11, 2014. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the

Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...

.6666 Ranch: Burnett family
/ref> Burnett was educated at a private academy in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

and the

Virginia Military Institute The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the U.S. In k ...

Career

Burnett worked as a cowhand and later wagon boss at the

Big Pasture The Big Pasture was of prairie land, in what is now southwestern Oklahoma. The land had been reserved for grazing use by the Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache tribes after their reserve was opened for settlement by a lottery conducted during June throu ...

in southwestern

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

. Meanwhile, he learned to speak the

Comanche language Comanche (, endonym ) is a Uto-Aztecan languages, Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Comanche, who split from the Shoshone soon after the Comanche had acquired horses around 1705. The Comanche language and the Shoshoni language are quite similar, ...

and became friends in Chief

Quanah Parker Quanah Parker (, ; – February 23, 1911) was a war leader of the Kwahadi ("Antelope") band of the Comanche Nation. He was likely born into the Nokoni ("Wanderers") band of Tabby-nocca and grew up among the Kwahadis, the son of Kwahadi Coman ...

. He then served as a captain during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

of 1898. In 1912, Burnett inherited ranching interests in Wichita County, Texas from his later maternal grandfather, Martin B. Lloyd. He established the Triangle Ranch, where he raised cattle and drilled newfound oil. A decade later, from 1923 to 1925, he acquired the Pope Ranch and the McAdams Ranch in

Foard County, Texas Foard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,095. Its county seat is Crowell, which is also the county's only incorporated community. The county is named for Robert Levi Foard, an at ...

as well as the Moon Ranch formerly owned by W. Q. Richards, in

Cottle County, Texas Cottle County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,380. Its county seat is Paducah. The county was founded in 1876 and later organized in 1892. It is named for George Washington Cottle, who die ...

. A few years later, in 1929, he purchased the YL Ranch (formerly part of the OX Ranch) in the

Paducah Paducah ( ) is a home rule-class city in the Upland South, and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. The most populous city in the Jackson Purchase region, it is located in the Southeastern United States at the confluence ...

area. A decade later, in 1938, he purchased the 7L Ranch. Overall, he owned of land and 4,000 to 6,000 head of

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

stock. Burnett was a major shareholder of the Iowa Park State Bank. He patronized

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

s in

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan area, Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer County, Tex ...

. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in the 1930s, he donated school lunches to schoolchildren in Wichita Falls and assisted impoverished cowboys.

Personal life, death, and legacy

Burnett married Olive Lake Burnett. They had a daughter,

Anne Valliant Burnett Tandy Anne Valliant Burnett Tandy ( Burnett, formerly Waggoner, formerly Hall, formerly Windfohr; October 15, 1900 – January 1, 1980) was an American heiress, rancher, horse breeder, philanthropist and art collector from Fort Worth, Texas. Early li ...

. The couple divorced in 1918. His second marriage was to

Lucille Mulhall Lucille Mulhall (October 21, 1885 – December 21, 1940) was a well-known cowgirl and Wild West performer. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Zach and Agnes Mulhall. Her parents brought her to the Oklahoma Territory in 1889. She was rai ...

, a rodeo queen. The wedding took place on May 3, 1919 and they divorced in 1920. His third marriage was to Lydia Sheldon of Electra; they wed in 1921 and got divorced shortly after. His fourth marriage was to Bernice Fassett, a widow from a ranching family. Burnett died of a heart attack on December 26, 1938. He was buried at Highland Cemetery in Iowa Park, Texas. His estate was inherited by his only daughter. His granddaughter,

Anne Windfohr Marion Anne Windfohr Marion (born Anne Valliant Burnett Hall; November 10, 1938 – February 11, 2020) was an American heiress, rancher, horse breeder, business executive, philanthropist, and art collector from Fort Worth, Texas. She served as the pres ...

, was the owner of his father's 6666 Ranch, his Triangle Ranch, and the Burnett Oil Company until her death in 2020. In 1981, she donated his private residence to the City of Iowa Park, where it became a public library. In 1978, he was inducted into the

Hall of Great Westerners The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American W ...

of the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and Native American art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Amer ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnett, Thomas Lloyd 1871 births 1938 deaths People from Denton County, Texas People from Wichita County, Texas People from Wichita Falls, Texas Virginia Military Institute alumni Spanish–American War Ranchers from Texas 20th-century American philanthropists