Mary Couts Burnett (1856 – December 16, 1924) was a wealthy philanthropist who donated the bulk of her estate to

Texas Christian University Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciple ...

. The endowment was used to establish the Mary Couts Burnett Library at the university.

Early life

Mary Couts was born July 1856, to James R. Couts in

Lawrence County, Arkansas Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,415. The county seat is Walnut Ridge. Lawrence County is Arkansas's second county, formed on January 15, 1815, and named for Capta ...

. Her father was a cattleman who relocated his family to

Parker County, Texas Parker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 148,222. The county seat is Weatherford. The county was created in 1855 and organized the following year. It is named for Isaac Parker, a ...

, where he established a bank in Weatherford. Along with John N. Simpson in 1875, he also established the longhorn cattle Hashknife Ranch in Taylor County. Mary's first husband Claude Barradel died.

Samuel Burk Burnett

On September 13, 1892, she married divorced cattle baron

Samuel Burk Burnett Samuel Burk Burnett (January 1, 1849 – June 27, 1922) was an American cattleman and rancher from Texas, owner of the 6666 Ranch, and namesake of Burkburnett, Texas. Early life Samuel Burk Burnett was born on January 1, 1849, in Bates Coun ...

. Before their marriage, Burnett had made his fortune in cattle ranching, establishing the Four Sixes Ranch. He partnered with

Quanah Parker Quanah Parker (Comanche ''kwana'', "smell, odor") ( – February 23, 1911) was a war leader of the Kwahadi ("Antelope") band of the Comanche Nation. He was likely born into the Nokoni ("Wanderers") band of Tabby-nocca and grew up among the Kwah ...

to lease grazing land on Comanche and

Kiowa Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and e ...

reservations in Oklahoma, making Parker wealthy as well. Burnett counted

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

among his friends. Mary and Samuel Burnett made their home in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

. The couple had one child, Samuel Burk Burnett Jr., who died one month short of his twenty-first birthday in 1916. The marriage became contentious, in part because of Samuel Burnett's relationship with his granddaughter Anne Burnett Tandy. The situation deteriorated to the point in 1920 that Mary began to mention to others that Burnett was planning to murder her. Samuel Burnett's reaction was to have her declared legally insane and committed to an asylum in a private home. She broke out of the asylum on the day of her husband's death on June 26, 1922. Her personal physician, Charles Harris, assisted her in getting the insanity ruling reversed. She also successfully challenged her husband's will that left his entire $6 million estate to his granddaughter. The court ruled that she was to receive half of the estate.

Mary Couts Burnett Library

In December 1923, she bequeathed $12,000 to the Dixon Colored Orphanage in Gilmer. The remainder of her $3 million estate was bequeathed to

. The monies were used to replace the existing library at TCU, which had been housed in the university's administration building. In accordance with the terms of Burnett's will, $150,000 was immediately allocated for the construction of a new library building. The architects were W. G. Clarkson and Company. TCU president E.M. Waits requested the new building be named the Mary Couts Burnett Library. The library is the repository for the papers and memorabilia of former Congressman and

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

Jim Wright.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnett, Mary Couts 1856 births 1924 deaths History of women in Texas People from Weatherford, Texas Texas Christian University People from Fort Worth, Texas People from Lawrence County, Arkansas