Henry Earl Singleton - Rancher

Rancher

Late in his life, Henry Singleton began investing in a field far removed from the world of semiconductors and control systems. His new passion was land. In the mid-1980s, Singleton started buying ranches in New Mexico and, later, California. Beginning with the acquisition of the 81,000 acre (330 km²) San Cristobal Ranch south of Santa Fe, in a relatively short time he had bought more than twenty ranches. Most were along the U.S. Route 285 corridor from Santa Fe to Roswell with others in San Miguel and Quay Counties, and the 30,000 acre (120 km²) Shepherd Ranch in Guadaluoe County. Singleton was not just a dilettante, but was directly involved with the ranch operations as well as in efforts to preserve the many archeological features on the land.

Within a 14-year period, Singleton purchased 28 other ranches, making the Singleton Ranches the largest cow-calf operation in New Mexico. Singleton’s last acquisition was a 45,000 acre (180 km²) ranch in California. At the time of his death, he owned more than 1.5% of New Mexico. Now managed by his children, Singleton Ranches own 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) in New Mexico and California, and is one of the nation's top cattle- and horse-breeding operations. The Singleton Family is ranked as the fifth largest land-holder in America.