Banker, business and civic leader and famed breeder of Hereford cattle.
1847-1936 | Artist: Robert Wadsworth Grafton (1876-1936)
Impact & Accomplishments
Robert Hazlett was one of the most respected Hereford cattle breeders of his generation, advancing the breed on his Hazford Place ranch in El Dorado, Kansas.
He was president and treasurer of the American Hereford Cattle Breeders’ Association, a long-time director of the International Live Stock Exposition, and the first president of the American Royal Livestock Show, also serving as a director and its treasurer for many years.
In addition, Hazlett was an attorney who served as state’s attorney in Sangamon County, Illinois.
He invested in oil and in Colorado mining operations and was president of both the Merchants Bank of El Dorado and the El Dorado National Bank.
Did You Know?
Hazlett's career as a lawyer covers nearly forty-five years. In 1872 he located at Springfield, Illinois, where he became a deputy in the office of the clerk of the supreme court. After a year he opened his private law office and practiced in that city steadily until 1885. In 1876 Mr. Hazlett was elected state's attorney of Sangamon County and was re-elected in 1880. He served a little more than the full term of four years after his second election, and left office early in 1885.
After this experience as a lawyer and public official in Illinois Mr. Hazlett came to El Dorado, Kansas, in April, 1885. He began the practice of law in partnership with C. L. Harris, the firm name being Hazlett & Harris, and also engaged in buying and selling real estate.
In 1898 Mr. Hazlett made his first purchase of pedigreed Herefords.
Photo courtesy Kansas State Historical Society.
1915 Ad for Hazford Place