Ray Cowden

Inducted in 2010

Mar 1

Phoenix - Maricopa County

Inducted in 2010

Ray Cowden was a man of many interests. His lifetime was spent working in agriculture, but he was also instrumental in developing John C. Lincoln Hospital in Phoenix. The quality of his registered Hereford cattle was known far beyond Arizona's boundaries. His business acumen was applied to finance and education and as a member of the boards of banks and utilities.

Ray (Efton Ray Cowden) was born in Springfield, Missouri, on August 28, 1891, the youngest son of James Steele and Elizabeth Wallis Cowden. Ray's father and older brother Claude were cattlemen and farmers in the Springfield area who turned their gaze westward in the early 1900s. In 1908 or 1909, Claude moved to Calexico in California's Imperial Valley to work on his uncle's farm and ranch. His father followed in 1910, buying a large farm in Arizona from John Mudersbach and began to raise cattle and alfalfa. By associating with the Babbitt Brothers Trading Company in Flagstaff, Mudersbach would play a key role in Cowden's agricultural future.

Eventually, Claude joined his father in the Valley and established a livestock operation called the Glendale Cattle Company. He fed and marketed cattle independently and helped his father on his farm. Claude's entrance into the cattle business in Arizona was well-timed. With Mudersbach's Babbitt connections, he met with Charles J. "C.J." Babbitt

Babbitt divided his time between the family mercantile business and his slaughterhouse in Flagstaff. In 1912, Claude and Babbitt drafted an agreement whereby Babbitt would winter his cattle in the Valley, with Claude providing the feed, labor, and management. At 26, Claude Cowden became a rising star in the cattle feeding industry. A new chapter in Claude's life coincided with a new chapter in Arizona's history. He was now a partner with one of the state's most powerful and influential families. The euphoria of landing the deal with Babbitt was short-lived. Tragedy struck in the early part of 1912 when Claude was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The long-term prognosis was poor, so James sent Ray to help them with their cattle and farming operations. Ray quit his job as a salesman in Missouri and arrived in Arizona on August 19, 1912, nine days before his twenty-first birthday.

The two brothers partnered in the cattle business under the name of Cowden Brothers and expanded the business that Claude had started. They continued the feeding arrangement with the Babbitts, first as Babbitt and Cowden Brothers and later as Babbitt and Cowden Livestock Company. It was a good arrangement for both. The Babbitts provided the financing, and the Cowdens furnished the work and supervision. Ray's vision and ambition drove the expansion of the business, and after Claude succumbed, he continued the arrangement on his own. Before his death, Claude and Ray expanded their operation by leasing the 800-acre Cashion Ranch 15 miles west of Phoenix. With the Babbitts' financial assistance, they acquired the Nicols Ranch, a 640-acre farm on Van Buren Street west of Tolleson. The ranch later became the headquarters for Ray's massive livestock-feeding operation.

Throughout the years, Ray was active in directing the activities of diverse businesses such as the Valley National Bank (which became Bank One and is now part of Chase Bank) and Arizona Public Service Company, serving on the boards of directors for both corporations. He was part owner of a feed and gin company and served on the governing board of the Salt River Valley Water Users Association for several years.

He gave freely of his time and expertise to agricultural youth organizations such as the 4-H Clubs and the Future Farmers of America. He believed in education and supported Arizona's State universities: Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona State University in Tempe, and the University of Arizona in Tucson. After he passed away, much of his estate went to the schools.

Just for the fun of it, Ray got involved with several others to promote an annual rodeo event in New York City's Madison Square Garden for several years.

Ray operated farms and ranches across the state. His registered Hereford ranch was located north of Willcox in southern Arizona. He once operated a large farm between Casa Grande and Tucson. In addition, he owned and operated a large ranch near Seligman and was involved with some ranches in New Mexico and Texas.

In later years, his cattle-feeding operation was carried out at a farm west of Tolleson. Ray quickly recognized the importance of surrounding himself with the right managers, supervisors, and supervisors. He was a generous employer. Several times, he purchased small farms and ranches for individuals he knew wanted to own property. Over several years, he was reimbursed for the land, in many cases at prices considerably lower than the current market value.

Ray continued to look for ways to expand his enterprise. The ideal opportunity was a lease agreement between Babbitt and Cowden Livestock Company and the Southwest Cotton Company. The Southwest Cotton Company was a subsidiary of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. During World War I, Paul W. Litchfield had formed it to supply long-staple cotton to the company for their corded tires. At the war's end, the heavy need for cotton dried up, and Southwest Cotton Company turned its attention to other uses for the land and began looking for someone to operate the property.

Ray Cowden negotiated a lease between his firm and the Southwest Cotton Company, whereby he would farm the property and graze cattle there. The cattle from Northern Arizona and other places were shipped by rail and grazed there for several months before being taken to the Cashion Ranch for finishing. This operation continued until about 1926. From that time, Ray concentrated his livestock feeding business on his Tolleson farm. Livestock feeding pens and working corrals were built at the north end of the farm. Huge silos were dug in the ground to store the ensilage used as part of the cattle feed. The rest of the farm was planted in alfalfa fields where they would graze some of the cattle.

In a self-contained operation, Ray built a mill to grind alfalfa hay and mix it with grain and cottonseed meal to use as feed. To improve the methods used in the operation of the farm, the wooden feeding troughs located in the center of the pens were moved to the side of each pen, eliminating the need to transport the feed by horse-drawn wagon into the pens and then shovel it into the troughs, a labor-intensive operation. The wooden troughs were replaced with concrete feed troughs, which could be delivered to each pen by specially built trucks.

Ray Cowden continued his farming and cattle operation until the late 1970s, when he began downsizing by selling off some of his farms and ranches, but he continued his cattle-feeding activities in Tolleson.

Ray used the wealth he had gained from his various enterprises to benefit his community. He was involved with the Desert Mission, which served the medical needs in the north Phoenix area of Sunnyslope. In 1946, he succeeded John C. Lincoln as hospital board president. Under his direction, the facility grew, becoming an acute care facility in 1954. Construction started on the four-story full-service hospital in 1959, and several innovative programs were developed during the 1960s and 1970s under his leadership. In 1982, the Cowden Center was named in his honor, focusing on health education, physical and cardiac therapies, and housing the Grigg Medical Library.