| John Coffee "Jack" Hays | |
|---|---|
John Coffee Hays |
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| Nickname | "Jack" "Bravo-Too-Much" |
| Born | January 27, 1817 Wilson County, Tennessee |
| Died | April 21, 1883 (aged 66) Piedmont, California |
| Place of burial | Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland |
| Allegiance | Republic of Texas United States |
| Service/branch | Texas Ranger Division |
| Years of service | joined Rangers in 1836 |
| Rank | Captain, Texas Rangers Colonel, U.S.V. |
| Commands held | 1st Mounted Texas Rifles Washoe Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
| Other work | Sheriff, politician |
| History of Texas | |
|---|---|
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| Civil War Era (1861–1865) | |
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Texas Portal |
Col. John Coffee "Jack" Hays (January 28, 1817 – April 21, 1883) was a Texas Ranger captain and military officer of the Republic of Texas. Hays served in several armed conflicts from 1836-1848, including against the Comanche people in Texas and during the Mexican-American War.
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Hays was born at Little Cedar Lick, Wilson County, Tennessee. His father, Harmon Hays, was related to Andrew Jackson's wife, Rachel, and named his son for the longtime family friend and Jackson protégé, Col. John Coffee.[1] His brother was Confederate General Harry T. Hays of New Orleans. His sister, Sarah Hays Lea, was the mother of John Hays Hammond.[2]
In 1836 at the age of 19, Hays migrated to Texas. Sam Houston appointed him as a member of a company of Texas Rangers because he knew the Hays family from Tennessee.
In the following years, Hays led the Rangers on a campaign against the Comanche and other hostile tribes in Texas, and succeeded in weakening their power. In 1840, allied Tonkawa Chief Placido with 13 scouts joined with the Rangers and tracked down a large Comanche war party,[3] culminating at the Battle of Plum Creek.[4] Later, Hays commanded the force against the invasion from Mexico of 1842.
During the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), Hays commanded again. The Rangers excelled during this conflict, gaining nationwide fame. Despite his youth at the time, Hays is credited with giving cohesion, discipline and group mentality to the Rangers, and acted as a rallying figure to his men.
In 1847 Hays married Susan Calvert in Seguin, Texas, at the Magnolia Hotel.[5]
The Comanche respected Hays. Upon news of the birth of Hays' first son in California, Chief Buffalo Hump sent the Hays family a gift, a silver cup engraved as "Buffalo Hump Jr." The cup is held by the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles, where it was donated by Grace W. Hays.
When John Hays Jr. married Anna McMullin in San Francisco, two Texas Ranger legacies were combined. Her father Captain John McMullin was one of Jack Hays' closest friends; he had followed him to California. In 1850 McMullin was elected the first Sheriff of Sacramento.
In 1849 Hays was appointed by the United States government as the US Indian agent for the Gila River country in New Mexico and Arizona.
The next year the Hayses joined the migration to California. Hays was elected sheriff of San Francisco County in 1850. He also became active in politics. In 1853, he was appointed US surveyor general for California.[6][7]
Hays was one of the founders of the city of Oakland. In the following years, he amassed a considerable fortune through real estate and ranching enterprises. In 1860 while in Virginia City, Nevada, on business, he heard the new of the First Battle of Pyramid Lake. He commanded a force of volunteer soldiers at the Second Battle of Pyramid Lake.
In 1876, Hays was elected as a delegate to the Democratic Party national convention, which nominated Samuel J. Tilden for the presidency of the United States.
Hays died in California on San Jacinto Day, April 21, 1883. He was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.
Hays County, Texas is named in his honor.