Rex Cauble
Rex Cauble, 1967
Birth nameRex Carmack Cauble
OccupationBanking, ranching, construction, real estate
DisciplineNCHA cutting
BornAugust 15, 1913 (1913-08-15)
Vaughan, Texas
DiedJune 23, 2003 (2003-06-24)
Durant, Oklahoma
Resting placeSparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas, TX
Major wins/Championships1964 NCHA Non-Pro World Champion
Lifetime achievementsHonorary Texas Ranger
1978 American Medical Center Research Center Humanitarian Award,
Significant horses
Cutter Bill

Rex Cauble (August 15, 1913—June 23, 2003) was born in Vaughan, Texas to cotton farmers, Lou Butts and Fred C. "Buddy" Cauble.[1] He was a self-made millionaire known for his flamboyance as a Texas-size businessman who struck it rich as a wildcatter.[2] In the 1970s, he founded two high-end retail western wear stores comprising Cutter Bill Western World named after Cauble's world champion cutting horse, Cutter Bill; one store was located in Houston, the other in Dallas.[3]

At age 67, Cauble became infamous when he was indicted under suspicion that he was bankrolling what was "reportedly the largest marijuana smuggling operation in Texas during the '70s."[3] A U.S. Attorney "labeled the dapper 67-year-old Denton, Texas, millionaire a 'general' in the 'Cowboy Mafia' of drug smugglers".[4] Members of the Cowboy Mafia were "caught in the seizure of a shrimp boat carrying 22 tons of high-grade Colombian marijuana to Port Arthur, Texas."[4] Many people who knew Cauble believed his ranch foreman Charles "Muscles" Foster had deceived Cauble and was the real leader of the smuggling operation.[3]

Cauble was indicted on a total of ten counts including three violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute (RICO), three violations of the Travel Act and four counts of misapplication of bank funds.[2][5] In 1982, the jury convicted him on all counts. The trial judge sentenced Cauble to serve concurrent five-year sentences for each count and ordered forfeiture of his share in Cauble Enterprises.[5][6] After serving five years, Cauble was released from prison based on a combination of time served and good conduct.[7] Cauble pleaded innocent to the charges[4] and maintained his innocence until the day he died.[7][8]

Early life

Rex Cauble grew up on his parents' cotton farm in Vaughan, Texas. As a young boy, he had his own horse but not one he bred and raised on his own; an aspiration that followed him into adulthood.[9] In the 1930s, Cauble worked as an oilfield roughneck and wildcatter which developed into a lucrative business that eventually made him a multimillionaire.

Rex married Josephine Hughes Sterling in 1952, and adopted her young son Lewis Rex Cauble.[2]

By the 1960s, Cauble owned several ranches where he stood the legendary Quarter Horse stallions Wimpy P-1, Silver King P-183, Hard Twist P-555[10] and Cutter Bill. It was during that time when Cauble first met Charles "Muscles" Foster, a professional rodeo cowboy but a very troubled man who Cauble took under his wing.

References

  1. ↑ "The Dallas Morning News". Obituaries. June 25, 2003.
  2. 1 2 3 "Rex & Josephine". D Magazine. January 1990. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Lane, Chris (March 2, 2016). "A Glimpse Into the Wild Ride of Cutter Bill Western World Is a Texas Time Capsule". Houston Press. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Wormser, Deborah A. (January 9, 1982). "'Cowboy Mafia' Trial Starts Jan. 11: Drug Charges Could Topple Texas Dynasty". United Press International, Inc. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "United States of America, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Rex C. Cauble, Individually and Doing Business As Caubleenterprises, Defendant-appellant, 706 F.2d 1322 (5th Cir. 1983)". Justia. May 31, 1983. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Texas Millionaire Sentenced". New York Times. February 25, 1982. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Convicted Cowboy Mafia Member Dead At 89". Hearst Newspapers. June 24, 2003. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  8. ↑ Etter, Jim (July 1, 2003). "Controversial Oil Millionaire Praised After Death By Friends". NewsOk.com. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Horse Breeding: The Pedigree and Performance of Cutter Bill: This world champion cutting horse became the trademark of an empire". America's Horse. American Quarter Horse Association. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Horseback Riding Through History: Royal Cutter". America's Horse. American Quarter Horse Association. January 12, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
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