Abel Head "Shanghai" Pierce

Abel Head Pierce, known as Shanghai Pierce (June 29, 1834 – December 26, 1900) was a Texas rancher. He was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island and was a direct descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, with nine generations in between.[1] He was related to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, U.S. President Franklin Pierce, and Thomas Wentworth Pierce, builder of the Southern Pacific Railroad in Texas.[2] At the age of nineteen, "Shanghai" stowed away on a ship in the New York harbor. He worked for his passage and arrived in Indianola, Texas, five months later without money or a job. He went to work for W. B. Grimes as a ranch hand. By shrewdness, hard work, and rugged determination he became an authority on cattle while working for Grimes.[3] How Pierce acquired the name "Shanghai" is a matter of speculation. J. Frank Dobie reported that it was due to Pierce's resemblance to a banty Shanghai rooster: long-legged and short-panted. Wharton County folklore holds that the name resulted from his ruthless business dealings. Pierce died on December 26, 1900.[4] Pierce, Texas is named for him.[5]

Fictional portrayals

Ted de Corsia played Pierce in the 1957 film Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Roy Roberts was cast as Pierce in a 1957 episode of the ABC/Desilu Productions television series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, with Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp, then the deputy marshal of Dodge City, Kansas. Douglas Fowley guest-starred with Roberts in the episode.[6]

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.