Henry Mayer Halff (1874-1934) was an American rancher, horse breeder and polo player.

Early life

Henry Mayer Halff was born on August 17, 1874, 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 ...

. His father, Mayer Halff, was a French immigrant who became a large rancher in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. His mother was Rachel Hart. Halff was educated at the

Staunton Military Academy Staunton Military Academy was a private all-male military school located in Staunton, Virginia. Founded in 1884, the academy closed in 1976. The school was highly regarded for its academic and military programs, and many notable American politica ...

, a male-only military boarding school in Staunton, Virginia. He graduated from

Eastman Business College The Eastman Business College was a business school located in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It operated from 1859 until it closed in 1931. At the height of its success, the school was one of the largest commercial colleges in the United St ...

, a business school in

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...

. Halff served in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

Career

Halff moved to Midland, Texas, to embark upon a career in ranching in 1904. He ranched in Midland County, Crane County,

Crockett County Crockett County is the name of two counties in the United States, both named for frontiersman and politician Davy Crockett: * Crockett County, Tennessee * Crockett County, Texas Crockett County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in t ...

and Upton County. He inherited the Quien Sabe Ranch in Midland County and the JM Ranch in Upton County from his father. He raised

Hereford cattle The Hereford is a British breed of beef cattle originally from Herefordshire in the West Midlands of England. It has spread to many countries – there are more than five million purebred Hereford cattle in over fifty nations worldwide. The bre ...

and grew

honeydew melon The honeydew melon is one of the two main cultivar types in ''Cucumis melo'' Inodorus Group. It is characterized by the smooth rind and lack of musky odor. The other main type in the Inodorus Group is the wrinkle-rind casaba melon. Character ...

. Halff was the owner of the H.M. Halff Polo Farm, a polo and horsebreeder farm in Midland, Texas. He bred Belgian stallions with

draft horse A draft horse (US), draught horse (UK) or dray horse (from the Old English ''dragan'' meaning "to draw or haul"; compare Dutch ''dragen'' and German ''tragen'' meaning "to carry" and Danish ''drage'' meaning "to draw" or "to fare"), less oft ...

s. He also bred

Thoroughbred 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 ...

s with

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...

s to produce polo ponies. Halff was the owner of a real estate business in Midland. When he moved to Mineral Wells, Texas, in 1925, he ran a real estate business there. When he moved to Dallas in 1929, he ran a real estate business there as well. Halff served as the president of the West Texas Chamber of Commerce. Halff was a member of the Rotary Club.

Personal life

Halff married Rosa Wechsler in 1905. They had two sons and two daughters. He retired to a farm in

Richardson, Texas Richardson is a city in Dallas and Collin counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 119,469. Richardson is an inner suburb of the city of Dallas. It is home to the University ...

, in 1931.

Death

Halff died on March 20, 1934, in Richardson, Texas. His funeral was held at Temple Emanu-El. He was buried at the Emanu-El Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halff, Henry Mayer 1874 births 1934 deaths American people of French-Jewish descent People from San Antonio People from Midland, Texas People from Richardson, Texas American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Ranchers from Texas Horse breeders American polo players Jewish American military personnel Jews from Texas