Bob Kleberg and the King Ranch
Ranching on the vast scale that Texas is famous for actually happened at King Ranch, a sea of grass that ultimately spread its pastures to countries around the globe under the fifty-year leadership of Bob Kleberg. This absorbing biography, written by Kleberg's top assistant of many years, captures both the life of the man and the spirit of the kingdom he ruled, offering a rare, insider's view of life on a fabled Texas ranch.
John Cypher spent forty years (1948-1988) on King Ranch. In these pages, he melds highlights of Kleberg's life with memories of his own experiences as the "right hand" who implemented many of Kleberg's grand designs. In a lively story laced with fascinating anecdotes he both recounts his worldwide travels with Kleberg as the ranch expanded its holdings to Latin America, Cuba, Australia, the Philippines, Europe, and Africa, and describes timeless, traditional tasks such as roundup at the home ranch in Kingsville.
Kleberg's accomplishments as the founder of the Santa Gertrudis cattle breed and a breeder of Thoroughbred racing horses receive full attention, as does his fabled lifestyle, which included friendships not merely with the rich and famous but also with Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, who shared his love of horse racing. For everyone interested in ranching and one of its most famous practitioners, this book will be essential reading.
John Cypher spent 40 years (1948-88) on the King Ranch, most of the time as assistant to the president [Bob Kleberg]. Few people could be better qualified to lend an air of intimacy to a story about a 15-million-acre spread and the man who led it for more than 50 years. Bob Kleberg and the King Ranch combines a biography of Kleberg with the story of the postwar boom years that changed the King Ranch from a Mexican hacienda into a traditional South Texas cattle ranch and finally into an international corporate agribusiness.
Cypher writes ranch history and personal memories of ‘The Boss’ with affection and self-effacing loyalty. His easy conversational style makes life on a working ranch, the care and feeding of visiting celebrities and the field of international agribusiness both understandable and entertaining. If [Edna] Ferber were writing Giant today, she wouldn’t need to visit the King Ranch. She could read Cypher’s book.
Cypher not only writes well but he is a great story teller and gives the reader probably the best of what will ever be known of the inner Bob Kleberg.
. . . a valuable contribution to an understanding of the rich, on-going history of the King Ranch. . . the author is articulate, skillful, and best of all, an excellent storyteller.
Nobody on this earth but you could have written this book with such intimate knowledge of the subject. You have given me insights and information I never had in forty years of devotion to the King Ranch. I salute you.
- Foreword
- One. The Beginning, Century II
- Two. Embellishing a Legacy
- Three. Let's Go to a Roundup
- Four. Simple Styles, Simple Habits
- Five. On Entering Another World
- Six. Going International: The First Step
- Seven. Inventing a Beef Factory—Venezuela
- Eight. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
- Nine. Brazil, a Multifaceted Adventure
- Ten. Argentine Problems, People Problems
- Eleven. Versailles via Flushing Meadows
- Twelve. Another World, Down Under
- Thirteen. From the New Cattle World to the Old
- Fourteen Decision Making, the Contorted Process
- Fifteen. The Trials of the Two Kings
- Sixteen. We Say Good-bye
- Afterword
- Index
