Chisum, John Simpson

Chisum, John Simpson

(1824–84) cattleman; born in Hardeman County, Tenn. He moved to Texas in 1837 and entered the cattle business in 1854. By 1866 he had begun to remove his ranching operations to New Mexico where he settled (1873) and took the lead in imposing law and order. At his peak, the "cattle king of America" owned 60,000–90,000 head of cattle. His role in the Lincoln County War (1878–79) is a subject of dispute.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.