Tex Ritter Videos : Tex Ritter - The Texas Rangers

woodward maurice tex ritter texas rangers country singer actor history law enforcement agency old west united states north america the

Tex Ritter - The Texas Rangers

Woodward Maurice Ritter (January 12, 1905--January 2, 1974), better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the father of actor John Ritter. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. With origins dating to the earliest days of Anglo settlement in Texas, the Texas Rangers form the oldest law-enforcement agency in North America with statewide jurisdiction. They often have been compared to four other world-famous agencies: the FBI, Scotland Yard, Interpol and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Scores of books, from well-researched works of non-fiction to Wild West pulp novels, have been written about the Rangers. They are part of the history of the Old West, and part of its mythology. Over the years, a distinct Ranger tradition has evolved. The Rangers date back to 1823 when Stephen F. Austin recognized the need for a body of men to protect his fledgling colony. On August 5 of that year, Austin wrote that he would "...employ ten men...to act as rangers for the common defense." These men "ranged" the area of Austin's colony, protecting settlers from Indians. When no threat seemed evident, the men returned to their families and land.

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