Robert J. Kleberg (King Ranch)

Robert J. Kleberg
Born(1853-12-05)December 5, 1853
DiedOctober 10, 1932(1932-10-10) (aged 78)
EducationUniversity of Virginia
OccupationRancher
ChildrenRichard M. Kleberg
Robert J. Kleberg, Jr.
Parent(s)Robert J. Kleberg
Philippine Sophie Rosalie "Rosa" von Roeder

Robert Justus Kleberg (December 5, 1853 – October 10, 1932)[1] was born to Rosa and Robert J. Kleberg[2] in Texas[1] and attended the University of Virginia.[1] He served as legal counsel to Richard King and his 600,000-acre (2,400 km2) King Ranch. When King died, Kleberg took over the management of the ranch in 1885.[2] Under his tenure the ranch grew to encompass over 1,300,000 acres (5,300 km2).[1] He also encouraged the B. F. Yoakum company of St. Louis to build a railroad in South Texas.[3] Eventually oil was discovered under much of this cattle country. At the time of his death, his son Richard M. Kleberg had recently been elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (in 1931).

  1. ^ a b c d "American Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century - Kleberg, Robert Justus, Sr. (sic)". www.hbs.edu: Harvard University. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "The Handbook of Texas Online - Kleberg, Robert Justus (father's entry)". www.tshaonline.org: The Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  3. ^ van Kleef, Alisa. "Robert Justus Kleberg II." In Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present, vol. 3, edited by Giles R. Hoyt. German Historical Institute. Last modified December 03, 2015.