Freestone County, Texas Biographies Biography of Christopher Columbus Slaughter (Feb. 9, 1837- Jan. 25, 1919, buried Greenwood Cemetery in Dallas, TX.) TEXAS AND TEXANS, VOLUME IV by Frank W. Johnson Editor: Eugene C. Barker, Ph.D. published by The American Historical Society Chicago and New York, 1916 TEXAS AND TEXANS, VOLUME IV - page 1970 ... CHRISTOPHER C. SLAUGHTER. “It’s the size of the game as well as the size of the man that spells success.” Great men are great in their methods. They draw their plans on a tremendous scale, think in big units, trudge to the farthest horizons, climb long hills, contest in great arenas, and above all accept no compromise from opportunity. Christopher C. Slaughter, vice president of the American Exchange National Bank at Dallas, is a self-made man in the most significant sense of the term. Starting out with nothing but his own brains and determination to win success, he gradually accumulated an immense fortune and is now one of the wealthiest citizens of Texas. But all his time has not been given over to mere personal aggrandizement ; he dispenses charity wherever it is needed and to date has given away close to $1,000,000. Citizens of his ilk are the vanguard of civilization, and in no mean sense he has done much to build up this great western empire. A son of George and Sarah (Mason) Slaughter, Christopher C. Slaughter was born in Sabine County, Texas, and he claims to be the oldest son in Texas born by marriage after the battle of San Jacinto. his birth having occurred immediately after that battle, February 9, 1837. His father was a captain under General Houston in the Texas fight for liberty. After completing the curriculum of the public schools of Sabine County, Mr. Slaughter attended Renfrow I% Yokum College, at Larissa, Cherokee County, Texas. At an early age, about 1855, he decided to engage in the cattle business, starting business on the Trinity River, in Freestone County. In 1858 he removed to Palo Pinto County, where he had charge of his father’s and his own cattle, and later he proceeded to Young County and on to the West, crossing to the plains and the headwaters of the Colorado River. He raised and improved his cattle, buying, selling and driving to Kansas and other states, as far as Montana. Eventually he extended his interest to real estate investments and with the passage of time became one of the largest cattle and land owners in Texas. His income increased until it reached $100,000 per year, at which time he began giving away money to charitable purposes, donating from 10 to 25 per cent of his income to philanthropy each year. Thus far his benefactions figure near the million mark. Mr. Slaughter was president of the Texas Cattle Raisers’ Association for a number of years and during the Civil war period commanded the TEXAS AND TEXANS, VOLUME IV - page 1971 Texas Rangers on the frontier, fighting the Indians. He was appointed colonel by the Confederacy, but his commission did not reach him until after Lee’s surrender. He organized the American Bank of Dallas and was vice president of the same when it mas merged into the American Exchange National Bank, of which gigantic financial institution he is now vice president. He is a devout member of the Baptist Church and is a lifelong democrat. In Palo Pinto County, Texas, in the year 1860, Mr. Slaughter was united in marriage to Miss Cynthia A. Jowell, whose demise occurred in Dallas, in 1879. She is survived by three sons and two daughters. For his second wife Mr. Slaughter married Miss Carrie A. Averill, a daughter of the Rev. A. M. Averill, a Baptist minister in Boston, Massachusetts. This union has been blessed with two sons and two daughters. The Slaughter home is maintained in a beautiful residence at No. 3506 Worth Street. In 1909 Mr. Slaughter met with a sad accident to his hip, the same preventing him from walking a great deal. This is a great misfortune to one who has been so tremendously active during his entire life. Otherwise, although seventy-six years of age, he retains in their pristine vigor the splendid mental and physical qualities of his prime. Mr. Slaughter is one of the most prominent and public-spirited citizens in Texas. Although he does not take an active part in public affairs, he is a liberal supporter of all matters affecting the good of the general welfare. He is a man of high ideals and generous impulses and is greatly beloved for his many kind and thoughtful acts.