Helen Kleberg Groves (October 20, 1927 – May 6, 2022) was a horsewoman and

cattle rancher Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...

dubbed the "First Lady of Cutting" by the ''

San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the state of Texas, with ...

'' and inducted in 1988 into the

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Established in 1975, it is dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. The museum is an educ ...

. She was born in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, and raised in

Kingsville, Texas Kingsville is a city in the southern region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Kleberg County. Located on the U.S. Route 77 corridor between Corpus Christi and Harlingen, Kingsville is the principal city of the Kingsville Micropo ...

, on the

King Ranch King Ranch is the largest ranch in the United States. At some it is larger than the state of Rhode Island and country of Luxembourg. It is mainly a cattle ranch, but also produced the Triple Crown winning racehorse Assault. The ranch is loc ...

, founded by her great-grandfather, Richard King. In 1946, she led the King Ranch's

Thoroughbred racehorse The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

Assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

, into the winner's circle after his

Triple Crown Triple Crown may refer to: Sports Horse racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States) ** Triple Crown Trophy ** Triple Crown Productions * Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing * Trip ...

victory in the

Preakness Preakness may refer to: * The Preakness or Preakness Stakes, an American flat thoroughbred horse race held in Baltimore, Maryland * Preakness (horse), an American thoroughbred racehorse from Preakness Stables * Preakness, New Jersey, a section of W ...

. Groves attended all three of his Triple Crown races. Assault was, and still is, the only Texas-bred winner of the Triple Crown. Helen Kleberg was the only child of Robert Justus Kleberg Jr. and Helen Campbell Kleberg. Robert Kleberg Jr. was the son of Robert Kleberg and Alice King-Kleberg, who was the daughter of Henrietta and Richard King, founder of the

. Her father developed the

Santa Gertrudis Santa Gertrudis (Spanish equivalent of Saint Gertrude) may refer to: Places Canada * Santa Gertrudis-Boca del Infierno Provincial Park, in British Columbia Mexico * Santa Gertrudis, Coahuila, a town in Coahuila state * Santa Gertrudis, Chihuahua, ...

breed of cattle. The role played by

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

in the movie ''Giant'' was modeled after her mother. In 1950, the Klebergs established a private foundation under the name "Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen Campbell Kleberg Foundation", which has awarded grants to scientific research, as well as to wildlife and habitat stewardship projects. Helen was raised on the King Ranch which was headquartered in Kingsville, Texas. She attended

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

. Helen's first husband was John Deaver Alexander MD, with whom she had six children. After her first husband's death, she remarried. Her second husband was Lloyd J. Groves.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kleberg Groves, Helen 1927 births 2022 deaths Equestrian at multi-sport events People from Kingsville, Texas Ranchers from Texas