John Coffee "Jack" Hays (January 28, 1817 – April 21, 1883) was an American

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

. A captain in the Texas Rangers and a military officer of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas ( es, República de Tejas) was a sovereign state in North America that existed from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846, that bordered Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande in 1840 (another breakaway republic from Mex ...

, Hays served in several armed conflicts from 1836 to 1848, including against the Comanche Empire in Texas and during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

Biography

John Hays was born at Little Cedar Lick,

Wilson County, Tennessee Wilson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 147,737. Its county seat is Lebanon. The largest city is Mt. Juliet. Wilson County is part of the Nashville-Davidson ...

. His father Harmon A. Hays fought in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, naming his son for a relative by marriage, Colonel

John Coffee John R. Coffee (June 2, 1772 – July 7, 1833) was an American planter of Irish descent, and state militia brigadier general in Tennessee. He commanded troops under General Andrew Jackson during the Creek Wars (1813–14) and during the Battle o ...

. In 1836, at the age of 19, Hays migrated to the

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

appointed him as a member of a company of Texas Rangers because he knew the Hays family from his Tennessee years. He met with Houston and delivered a letter of recommendation from then-

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

, his great uncle. Rachel Jackson was Hays' great aunt of the Donelson family, a relative of his mother. In the following years, Hays led the Rangers on a campaign against the

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

in Texas, and succeeded in weakening their power. He rode with a Lipan Chief named Flacco who led the charge into every battle with him. The duo led and inspired the Rangers. In 1840

Tonkawa The Tonkawa are a Native American tribe indigenous to present-day Oklahoma. Their Tonkawa language, now extinct, is a linguistic isolate. Today, Tonkawa people are enrolled in the federally recognized Tonkawa Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma. ...

Chief Placido and 13 scouts joined with the Rangers to track down a large Comanche war party, culminating at the

Battle of Plum Creek The Battle of Plum Creek was a clash between allied Tonkawa, militia, and Rangers of the Republic of Texas and a huge Comanche war party under Chief Buffalo Hump, which took place near Lockhart, Texas, on August 12, 1840, following the Great Rai ...

."John Hays"
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame, Texas Rangers Website Later, Hays commanded the force against the invasion from Mexico of 1842. During the Mexican–American War (1846–1848), Hays commanded the First Regiment of Texas Rangers at the

Battle of Monterrey In the Battle of Monterrey (September 21–24, 1846) during the Mexican–American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by the Army of Occupation, a force of United States Regulars, Volunteers and ...

, established six companies along the northern and western frontier of Texas. He then commanded the Second Regiment of Texas Rangers in

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

Mexico City campaign Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. Later, while fighting under Gen.

Joseph Lane Joseph "Joe" Lane (December 14, 1801 – April 19, 1881) was an American politician and soldier. He was a state legislator representing Evansville, Indiana, and then served in the Mexican–American War, becoming a general. President James K. P ...

, who was defending the American line of communications with Vera Cruz, Hays defeated superior numbers of Mexican cavalry at the

Affair at Galaxara Pass Affair at Galaxara Pass, November 24, 1847, was a U.S. Army victory of Gen. Joseph Lane, over the Mexican Army Light Corps, an irregular force under Gen. Joaquín Rea. The Light Corps had been the principal force harassing the U.S. Army line ...

and Mexican guerillas in the

Skirmish at Matamoros The Skirmish at Matamoros on November 23, 1847, was a U.S. victory of Gen. Joseph Lane, over a detachment under Colonel Piedras guarding the depot of the Mexican Army Light Corps that had been harassing the U.S. Army line of communications on the ...

and the

action of Sequalteplan The Action of Sequalteplan, on February 25, 1848, was an American victory by a force under Gen. Joseph Lane that defeated a Mexican guerrilla force under Celedonio Dómeco de Jarauta at Zacualtipan. It was the last American expedition against ...

.Congressional Edition, Volume 537, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1848, pp.86 - 89 General Lane's report of the affairs at Matamoras and Galaxara.
/ref> Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox
History of the Mexican War, Church News Publishing Company, Washington D. C., 1892, pp.532-535
/ref> The Rangers excelled during this conflict, gaining nationwide fame. Hays was the first to use the Navy

Colt Paterson The Colt Paterson revolver was the first commercial repeating firearm employing a revolving cylinder with multiple chambers aligned with a single, stationary barrel. Its design was patented by Samuel Colt on February 25, 1836, in the United St ...

five-shot revolver. He expedited Samuel Walker to meet with Samuel Colt which led to the design of the legendary

Colt Walker The Colt Walker, sometimes known as the Walker Colt, is a single-action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six charges of black powder behind six bullets (typically .44 caliber lead balls). It was designed in 1846 by American firearms in ...

six-shot revolver used in the Old West.

Marriage and family

On April 29, 1847, in the Magnolia Hotel, Hays married Susan Calvert, a descendant of George Calvert, First Baron Baltimore, in

Seguin, Texas Seguin ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Guadalupe County, Texas, United States; as of the 2020 census, its population was 29,433. Its economy is primarily supported by a regional hospital, as well as the Schertz-Seguin Local Government C ...

, where he had his home. The Comanche had great admiration for Hays. Upon the birth of Hays' first son in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, Chief Buffalo Hump sent the Hays family a gift, a golden spoon engraved "Buffalo Hump Jr." When son John Caperton Hays married Anna McMullin in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, two Texas Ranger legacies were combined. Her father, Captain John McMullin, was one of Hays' closest friends; he had followed him to California. Jack Hays' brother was

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

Brigadier General

Harry T. Hays Harry Thompson Hays (April 14, 1820 – August 21, 1876) was an American Army officer serving in the Mexican–American War and a general who served in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Known as the "Louisiana Tigers," his brigad ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Their sister Sarah "Sallie" Hays Hammond was the mother of

John Hays Hammond John Hays Hammond (March 31, 1855 – June 8, 1936) was an American mining engineer, diplomat, and philanthropist. He amassed a sizable fortune before the age of 40. An early advocate of deep mining, Hammond was given complete charge of Ce ...

. John Hays Hammond, Jr., was an apprentice to

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...

and worked with

Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla ( ; ,"Tesla"
''

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

Post–Mexican War years

In 1849, Hays was appointed by the United States government as the US

Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...

for the

Gila River The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of n ...

country in New Mexico and Arizona. The same year the Hays joined the migration to

, leading a party of Forty Niners from New York that traveled in wagons to California from Texas. This party pioneered a shortcut on

Cooke's Wagon Road Cooke's Wagon Road or Cooke's Road was the first wagon road between the Rio Grande and the Colorado River to San Diego, through the Mexican provinces of Nuevo México, Chihuahua, Sonora and Alta California, established by Philip St. George ...

that saved a long journey to the south. That improved route became known as the

Tucson Cutoff The Tucson Cutoff was a significant change in the route of the Southern Emigrant Trail. It became generally known after a party of Forty-Niners led by Colonel John Coffee Hays followed a route suggested to him by a Mexican Army officer as a shorte ...

. Hays was elected sheriff of

San Francisco County San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

in 1850, and later became active in politics. In 1853, he was appointed US surveyor-general for California. Hays was one of the earliest residents of the city of

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

. In the following years, he amassed a considerable fortune through real estate and ranching enterprises. In 1860, while in

Virginia City, Nevada Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...

, on business, he heard the news of the

First Battle of Pyramid Lake The First Battle of Pyramid Lake in 1860 was one of the opening conflicts of the Paiute War in Nevada between the American people and the Northern Paiute, Paiute people, who had resisted the increasing numbers of migrants who traveled the Califor ...

. He commanded a force of volunteer soldiers at the

Second Battle of Pyramid Lake The Second Battle of Pyramid Lake (also known as the Battle of Truckee River) took place in response to the U.S. defeat at the First Battle of Pyramid Lake. A well-organized force of militia and regulars, under the capable leadership of famed Tex ...

American Civil War and later years

During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Hays retired from military involvement. In 1876, Hays was elected as a delegate to the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

national convention, which nominated

Samuel J. Tilden Samuel Jones Tilden (February 9, 1814 – August 4, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 25th Governor of New York and was the Democratic candidate for president in the disputed 1876 United States presidential election. Tilden was ...

for the

presidency of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Death

John Hays died in California on April 21, 1883, and his remains were interred at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.

Legacy and honors

John C. Hays is the namesake of

Hays County, Texas Hays County is located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. Hays County is part of the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, its official population had reached 241,067. The county seat is San Marcos. Ha ...

. Hays is etched in his honor, on the side of the Hall of State, Dallas, Texas.

References

Bibliography

* Gwynne, S. C. ''Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History'', New York: Scribner, 2010; * Robinson, Charles, ''The Men Who Wear the Star: The Story of the Texas Rangers'', Modern Library, (2001). . * Swift, Roy, ''Three Roads to Chihuahua: The Great Wagon Roads that Opened the Southwest'', Eakin Press (1988). . * Webb, Walter Prescott, ''The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Justice'', University of Texas Press, (1965, second ed.). * Wilkins, Frederick, ''The Legend Begins: The Texas Rangers, 1823–1845'', State House Press, (1996). . * Wilkins, Frederick, ''Defending the Borders: The Texas Rangers, 1848–1861'', State House Press, (2001). . * Wilkins, Frederick, ''The Law Comes to Texas: The Texas Rangers 1870–1901'', State House Press, (1999). .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hays, John Coffee United States Army colonels Members of the Texas Ranger Division American city founders American folklore American surveyors 1817 births 1883 deaths People from Seguin, Texas Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Oakland, California) California Democrats People from Wilson County, Tennessee People of the American Old West United States Army personnel of the Mexican–American War