| Dillard Rucker Fant | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1841-07-21)July 21, 1841 Anderson, South Carolina, US |
| Died | January 15, 1908(1908-01-15) (aged 66) Goliad County, Texas, US |
| Occupation | Cattle drover |
| Military career | |
| Unit | 21st Texas Infantry Regiment |
| Battles / wars | American Civil War |
Dillard Rucker Fant (July 21, 1841 – January 15, 1908) is an American cattle driver and soldier.
Biography
Fant was born on July 21, 1841, in Anderson, South Carolina. His father was William A. Fant, who would later serve as county judge of Goliad County, Texas, and his mother was Mary A. Fant (née Burriss). They moved to Goliad County in 1852. Fant received little school, instead befriending intelligent businessmen. As a young adult, Fant worked transporting goods on ox-wagon between Goliard County and Indianola, a port city.
During the American Civil War, he enlisted in the 21st Texas Infantry Regiment, serving in company "K", under Benjamin F. Carter. On October 15, 1865, Fant married Lucy A. Hodges, daughter of colonel John Hodges.
From 1867 to 1869, he drove cattle to Rockport, later droving to Kansas in 1869. He held government contracts to bring cattle to Wyoming, Nebraska, Idaho and the Dakota Territory. He brought between 175,000 and 200,000 cattle there in fifteen years of work. He helped extend the Chisholm Trail to Corpus Christi. He also worked alongside George Washington West.
He stopped droving by 1889, selling all the cattle for $1,000,000 (approximently $34,200,000 in 2025). He used this money to buy 700,000 acres of ranchland in Refugio, Frio, Live Oak and Tarrant Counties, among others. George W. Saunders was an apprentice of him.
He retired in April 1901, moving to the King William District in San Antonio. He died on January 15, 1908, aged 66, during a visit to Goliad County.
References
- ^ Daniell, Lewis E. (1890). Types of Successful Men of Texas. E. Von Boeckmann, printer. pp. 119, 120.
- ^ Association, Texas State Historical. "Fant, Dillard Rucker". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
- Shackelford, Bruce (2015-04-21). The Wests of Texas: Cattle Ranching Entrepreneurs. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-1-62511-031-2.
- Amberson, Mary Margaret McAllen; McAllen, James A.; McAllen, Margaret H. (2003). I Would Rather Sleep in Texas: A History of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and the People of the Santa Anita Land Grant. Texas State Historical Association. p. 421. ISBN 978-0-87611-186-4.