Bio
Robert Justus Kleberg Jr. (1896–1974) was a prominent rancher and third-generation leader of the renowned King Ranch in South Texas. Born on March 29, 1896, in Corpus Christi, he was the grandson of Richard King, the ranch’s founder. Kleberg began his ranching career in 1916 and assumed management of King Ranch after his father’s death in 1932. In 1935, he became president of the family corporation that oversaw the ranch, which spanned between 800,000 and 900,000 acres across six South Texas counties.
Kleberg expanded King Ranch’s global presence, managing additional holdings in Florida, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Morocco, and Australia. He is best known for developing the Santa Gertrudis breed of beef cattle, the first breed recognized in the United States, a project that took thirty years to perfect. Kleberg also contributed significantly to agricultural science, particularly with the development of improved grazing grasses, and received honorary doctorates from Texas A&M and the University of Wisconsin.
Under his leadership, King Ranch also excelled in horse racing, producing thoroughbred champions like Assault, the 1946 Triple Crown winner, and Kentucky Derby winners Middleground and Bold Venture. Kleberg also had interests in banking, business, and railroads. He married Helen Campbell in 1926, and they had one daughter. Kleberg passed away on October 13, 1974, in Houston and was buried at the King Ranch, leaving a lasting legacy in ranching and agriculture.
