Littlefield Name Texas Institution

Hated Yankees—Even Statues of Heroes Face South in Front of State's Capitol

By Mary Toomey Tompkins.

Born June 21, 1842, only two months after the founding of the Oldest Business Institution in Texas, George Washington Littlefield became a Texas institution, carving out a career during seventy-nine picturesque years as cattleman, banker and philanthropist. He is among those whose names could not be erased form the history of the state: his own name is ingrained there through his activity, perseverance and generosity as an unconquered Southerner with a gift for making money and with a talent for multiplying it to the benefit of his fellow men.

When Major Littlefield settled up his earthly accounts on Nov. 10, 1920, he was worth $8,000,000. He had amassed this fortune after he was virtually given up for dead at the age of 23 on a Confederate battlefield. Characteristic is his jest with Fate in choosing as the brand for the cattle on his almost endless acres the letters, LFD, meaning Left For Dead.

George Washington Littlefield was born in Panola County, Mississippi, the son of Fleming and Mildred M. (Satterwhite) Littlefield. His father, a cotton planter, migrated with his family to Texas when young George was 8 years old, and settled at Gonzales. After three years the father died of pneumonia, leaving the care of the plantation and 200 slaves to his wife and son. George Washington Littlefield's faithful companion from childhood to the grave was his slave body servant, Nathan Stokes, who helped him with the plantation, accompanied him to the Civil War, and nursed him back to life when he was "left for dead." Nathan lived to be 105, and his buried with his "white folks" in the Littlefield lot at Oakwood Cemetery, Austin.

Turning time back to Gonzales, 1850-1860, we find young George Littlefield attending the common schools of Gonzales, and later Baylor University, then at Independence. At the age of 19 he joined Company I, 8th Texas Cavalry, familiary known as Terry's Texas Rangers, and was off for the war.

Couldn't Trust Yankee.

His love of the South persisted through his life, and it is said by those who knew him well that "he would never trust a Yankee."

As a lieutenant he fought at Shiloh, and as a captain he had heavy fighting under Bragg. During his captaincy he was all but mortally wounded when an enemy shell struck his cartridge belt, exploding it and tearing away his hip. The wound was so severe that the doctors gave him up for lost. But General Harrison begged them to continue the fight for the life of the young major—for he had been promoted to major as he lay on the battlefield, "left for dead."

While on a furlough he married, June 14, 1863, Miss Alice Tiller of Houston. When he was mustered out of the army as a helpless invalid, he and Nathan returned to take up life on his Texas plantation bereft of its many slaves. With Nathan's help he rode the cultivator on his crutches. He opened a general store when the crops were not up to par. Then came the disastrous floods of the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers which destroyed all of his crops. That year he drove his first herd of cattle to Abilene, Kan., and thus began the business which made him a multi-millionaire.

Family history relates that he worked hard and always saved part of what he made. In 1877 he established a ranch on the open ranges of the Panhandle near Tascosa, which sold in 1881 for $253,000. Another ranch, established on the Pecos River in New Mexico in 1882, soon ranged 40,000 head of cattle to spread the fame of the LFD brand throughout the West.

Major Littlefield bought from the Farwell Syndicate, builder of the Texas State Capitol, 300,000 of the 3,000,000 acres which the State gave the syndicate in exchange for erecting the Capitol. Taking his acreage in Lamb and Hockley Counties, Major Littlefield obtained part of the famous XIT (Ten in Texas) ranch, which included the yellow-colored ranch headquarters. Thus his ranch became known as the Yellow House ranch. The town of Littlefield in Lamb County is named in his honor.

Major Littlefield never moved "out West." He continued to call Gonzales home until 1883 when he and Mrs. Littlefield moved to Austin. Their two children, both of whom died in infancy, are buried in Gonzales County.

In 1890 the Major established the American National Bank of Austin, of which he was president until his death. Not trained for banking, but fired by the same business acumen which made his fortune, he opened his bank in the Driskill Hotel Building which he then owned "in order to have somewhere to put his money." Upon moving to Austin he had begun to deposit in a bank across the corner from where the Littlefield building stands. But, it seems he had some differences of opinion with the bankers, and so his own bank was the result.

The American National Bank, now in its fifty-second year, with a business of more than eighteen million dollars, is a tribute to his straight financial thinking, which was apparently a natural gift. His spirit is still about the place. He looks down upon the bank staff from a life-sized oil portrait done in Austin by Walter Russell of New York. Huge murals showing original cattle scenes from his ranches adorn the walls of the first floor. These were done by E. Martin Hennings from actual photographs of LFD cattle.

Through what are often called "the most famous bronze doors in America because they represent an industry," one enters the bank. Even the modern "electric eye" which opens and closes the glass doors does not distract the attention of the most casual visitor from the massive bronze outside doors, which show cattle scenes in bas-relief. And plainly to be seen is the LFD brand. The handles for the doors are steers' heads. T. Daniel Webster designed the doors which were made by Tiffany, New York.

Nephew is Chairman.

H. A. Wroe, a nephew of Major Littlefield, and now chairman of the board of the bank, remembers well the decision of the Major to erect the Littlefield Building to house the bank—for it was Mr. Wroe's business to follow through on the building. He succeeded Major Littlefield as president of the bank, and has been succeeded in that office by his son, E. R. L. Wroe. This grandnephew of ate Major bears his name in a lengthy, but euphonious combination. He was named for the Major's favorite comrade in the Civil War, Ed Rhodes, and for the Major—Ed Rhodes Littlefield Wroe.

As on e of the executors of the Major's vast estate, H. A. Wroe has the duty of following to conclusion the Major's many gifts to education and to the cause of southern history. So obsessed was the Major with the desire that all should know the true story of the South, that he gave in his will $100,000 for ate writing of a history of the United States "with the plain facts concerning the South and her acts fairly stated so that the children of the South may be truthfully taught." University of Texas historians are now writing this history. The will provided that proceeds from the sale of this book shall be used to endow a chairman of history for the university.

His love of his Southland inspired the gift of $250,000, for a suitable memorial to the South at the University of Texas. His ill describes in minute detail his idea of what an appropriate memorial would be, including a massive arch at the entrance to the university. He engaged the services of the well-known sculptor, Pompeo Copini.

However, the will provided that the committee in charge of the memorial might make such changes as they deemed fit, and the result is the Littlefield foundation, south of the main building, facing the Capitol, with six statues of famous men of southern state standing between the fountain and the main building. The men to be memorialized were chosen by the Major: Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Albert Sidney Johnston, James Stephen Hogg and the Major's personal friend, John H. Reagan. Woodrow Wilson was added later.

Mr. Wroe relates that when the statues were first set in place they faced North, a condition not to be tolerated by the Major, and so they were changed to face south. At the back of the fountain is a bronze memorial tablet bearing the names of the men and women from the university who served in World War I.

As far back as 1912, Major Littlefield expressed concern about a depository for southern literature, and two years later he established the Littlefield fund for Southern History, which was later increased to $125,000.

When no fund seemed apparent to erect a suitable monument to the Terry Texas Rangers, the Major provided the money to place the memorial on the grounds of ate state capitol.

His gifts to Southern History were not confined to Texas. A check for $40,000 went from his estate to Kentucky for the erection of a statue of Jefferson Davis.

Protects Freshmen Girls.

The Alice Littlefield dormitory, erected at the university at a cost of $350,000, was the Major's gift as a memorial to his wife. In giving the dormitory he specified in his will—that only freshmen girls should be housed there "because they need protection and assistance more than others." It is said that late hours at a sorority house near his home caused the decision to provide for freshman girls.

The Wrenn Library is his gift to the university, at a cost of $225,000.

His largest single gift to the university was $300,000 to apply on the main building—provided the university was not moved form its present location. Years back there was some talk of moving further out of town. His original gift for the main building was even more, but his will was changed. However, the same condition applied, "If the location was not changed."

The red brick Littlefield home on the present campus of the university was given to the university after the death of Mrs. Littlefield in 1935. It was originally tendered to the university as a home for its presidents—a stately, old-fashioned house with matching carriage house of a gone-by period. But the offer to give the house for the use of university presidents seems to have been verbal only, and the house has been diverted to other uses.

Generous, but not to be beaten out of a dollar, Major Littlefield revealed the rugged characteristics of the West, coupled with the patriotism of the southerner. He was never in public life except as a member of the board of regents of the university.

In the last World War he bought Liberty Bonds in amounts that staggered the imagination of the average citizen—$600,000 at one time and $2,000,000 in all as an expression of patriotism from an older soldier who could not enter into the fray bodily.

Article provided by Bill Page.

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