Jack Graves Favor, also known as Cadillac Jack Favor,[3][4] (November 30, 1911 – December 27, 1988) was an American rodeo performer.[5][6]
Jack Favor | |
|---|---|
| Born | Jack Graves Favor[1] November 30, 1911 Eula, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 27, 1988 (aged 77) Arlington, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation | Rodeo performer |
| Spouse |
Ponder Favor (m. 1940) |
| Children | 3[2] |
Biography
editEarly life
editFavor was born on a ranch in Eula, Texas.[1][2] He attended and graduated from Abilene High School.[2] While at high school he won his first rodeo competition as a bronc rider in Cameron, Texas.[2]
Later life
editFavor served in the United States Navy from 1929 to 1932, returning to Texas after his discharge.[2] He worked as a truck driver for a plumbing company in Abilene, Texas.[2] Favor later settled in Fort Worth, Texas,[1] before returning to the Navy in 1941.[2]
Favor continued to compete in rodeos, retiring in 1961 to live in Texarkana, Texas and work as a salesman.[2]
Conviction, imprisonment and acquittal
editIn 1967, Favor was convicted of a double murder after being accused by a hitchhiker he had picked up. He served eight years in Angola prison before being acquitted in a retrial.[1]
After his release, Favor was the subject of a book by William B. Moody titled In Jack’s Favor, and appeared on the late-night television talk show The Tomorrow Show and a radio show hosted by author, presenter and sports journalist, Howard Cosell.[2]
Death
editFavor died in December 1988 of complications from cancer in a hospital in Arlington, Texas, at the age of 77.[1] He was buried in Parkdale Cemetery.[1]
Legacy
editIn 1998 Favor was played by actor and musician Clint Black in the television film Still Holding On: The Legend of Cadillac Jack.[4] Black also wrote a song titled "Cadillac Jack" with country guitarist and songwriter, Hayden Nicholas.[3] Favor was posthumously inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame in 2009.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Jack Favor, 77, rodeo champ who fought for prison reform". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. December 29, 1988. p. 15. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j ""Not Guilty"" (PDF). The Christian Ranchman. 2012. pp. 1, 12–13. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ a b "American Cowboy (Vol. 3, No. 6)". American Cowboy. Active Interest Media: 32. Mar–Apr 1997. ISSN 1079-3690 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Miller, Daryl (April 28, 1998). "'Cadillac Jack' Rides Down a Well-Worn Country Road". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
- ^ "3 Men Indicted In Double Killing". The Town Talk. Alexandria, Louisiana. October 14, 1965. p. 18. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Settlement Reached". Reading Eagle. May 17, 1976. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Inductees by Year". Western Heritage from the Texas Trail of Fame. Archived from the original on November 4, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.