Robert Justus Kleberg, Jr. (III)

Bob Kleberg, President of the King Ranch corporation beginning in 1935, successfully blended raising livestock with managing wildlife habitat. He helped create Santa Gertrudis cattle (the first American beef line), bred quarter horses, and managed a stable of thoroughbred race horses, including the Triple Crown winner, Assault. In addition, he hired the biologist Val Lehmann to oversee habitat and wildlife on the Ranch, implemented private hunting rules, developed a network of windmills and earthen tanks to water livestock and wildlife, introduced drought-tolerant grasses, and pursued less-aggressive brush management that protected edge habitat. He was also involved in introduction of the Nilgai antelope, as part of an effort to diversify away from complete reliance on livestock. In 1950, Kleberg and his wife founded the Robert J. Kleberg and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation, which has since provided extensive support for wildlife research, veterinary medicine and rangeland genetics. Significantly, throughout his life, he managed to keep the Ranch’s extensive acreage intact and unfragmented.