Capt. John R. Hughes
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Feb. 11, 1855 June 3, 1947 Texas Ranger 1887-1915 [Footstone] Capt. John R. Hughes (Feb. 11, 1855 - June 3, 1947) Texas Ranger, 1887-1815, Noted for ability, courage, firmness. Born in Kansas. Came to Texas in 1870s. Upon Retirement, went into Ranching & Banking. Erected 1970
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
John R. Hughes served as a Texas Ranger for nearly three decades around the turn of the twentieth century, a stretch when the Rangers policed a still-rough Texas frontier. Kansas-born and drawn to Texas in the 1870s, he earned a reputation for steadiness and nerve before retiring into ranching and banking. His grave marker honors a career that spanned the closing of the open frontier.
Why it matters
Hughes embodies the legend of the long-serving Texas Ranger, a figure who became central to how Americans imagine law and order in the Old West.
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