C. C. Slaughter was the first native-born cattle king of Texas, the eldest of several rancher brothers, and began ranch work at age 12 on the East Texas ranch of his father, Rev. Geo. W. Slaughter. By 17 he was making his own trades in lumber, wheat, and cattle, and in 1856 he moved his cattle to Palo Pinto County on his first West Texas ranch. During the Civil War, he supplied beef to the Confederacy and also served in a frontier regiment to help prevent Indian attacks. After the war he helped cattlemen aid the economy of bankrupt Texas by securing cattle markets, at a time when a fat steer bought for $6-8 in Texas by a middleman sold for $30-40 at a shipping point. In 1867 he sold 300 head at a record $35 and helped lead the way to rancher marketing. Even after becoming a millionaire, he kept his love for trailing. He also pioneered improvement of Texas Longhorns through the use of champion Shorthorn and Hereford bulls. In speeches in the East, he advocated beef in the daily diet. To curb rustlers and establish efficient roundups, he helped organize the first cattle raisers association. His 89,000-acre Running Water spread in Hale and Lamb counties was part of 1,000,000 acres he ranched. He was also a banker, active churchman, and philanthropist.