The Chilton Family
Jim, Ken, & Tom Chilton
Arivaca/Tucson - Pima County
Inducted in 2019
Ken and Margaret Chilton
James Kenneth "Ken" Chilton, Sr. was born in Clifton, Arizona on May 21, 1916 and lived 97 years in his native Arizona until his passing September 6, 2013. While at Arizona State Teachers College, now Northern Arizona University, he met Margaret Jessie Smith whom he married on March 26, 1937. Their two sons Jim and Tom and daughter Ruth Ann Pfleider were raised riding for the brand. Margaret and Ken built their life together on farms and ranches in Arizona and celebrated 69 years of marriage.
Ken was born to be a cowboy and lived his dream. During his ranching career he improved every ranch he purchased throughout his long and vigorous life.
Chilton ancestors arrived from England during the 1650's. Successive generations moved west. In 1885, Ken's mother's family, the Cospers, drove cattle to Arizona from Texas and were among the first settlers on the Blue River and in Duncan in eastern Arizona. His great-grandfather Thomas Langdon Chilton and family arrived in Arizona from Oklahoma Indian Territory by covered wagon in 1898 and eventually settled on a farm and ranch that is now partially covered by Roosevelt Lake. Upon the construction of Roosevelt Dam, the Chilton family moved to the Duncan area where they farmed and ranched.
Ken graduated from Miami, AZ schools where he was named athlete of the year and was quarterback and captain of the football team. Ken went on to earn both a bachelors and masters degree and a school administrator's credential from Northern Arizona University.
Ken served ten years on the Arizona Livestock Board--appointed by two successive governors--and chaired the Board for seven of the ten years. He was named "Cattleman of the Year" in 1988 by the Arizona Cattle Growers' Association.
From 1976 through 1986, Ken served on two Governor's Rangeland Councils advising governors on conserving Arizona's ranchland, the state's ranching heritage and Arizona's beef production.
Ken was an active member of Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association from 1946 until his passing. He and his wife Margaret purchased the Diamond Bell ranch west of Tucson with sons Jim and Tom in 1979 after selling the 7+A, which they had owned and worked for nearly 10 years along Eagle Creek in eastern Arizona. The 7+A was near the ancestral Cosper homesteads on the Blue River.
Ken’s wife Margaret was born in Morenci, Arizona on September 22, 1917 and passed away on January 28, 2006. She lived her entire life, 88 years, in her native Arizona. She graduated from Morenci schools and then from Northern Arizona University.
Jim and Sue Chilton
Jim Chilton, now the fifth generation of his Arizona pioneer family, was born in Morenci, Arizona, the first son of Ken and Margaret. He was raised on farms and ranches. In 1963, Jim married Susan E. Chemnick whom he met and courted while both attended ASU. They celebrated 55 years of marriage on August 24, 2018.
As a pre-teen, Jim learned to pick cotton at three cents a pound resulting in the ability to earn fifteen cents an evening after grade school which seemed like a lot of money when you could buy a candy bar for a nickel. Soon afterward, Jim won first place in both the bull riding and calf roping at the Florence Junior Rodeo. He took his $45 and other prizes and never picked another pound of cotton.
After graduating from Camp Verde High School, Jim completed a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees at ASU. After working for the Salt River Project for a few years, Jim then was selected to serve U.S. Senator Carl Hayden of Arizona for three years as a Special Assistant.
Jim and Sue raised two sons, Ken (James Kenneth, III and Tomas (Thomas Carl), who are connected to the ranch while being outstanding in their own professional careers.
Sue was appointed to the Arizona Game & Fish Commission where she promoted both wildlife and ranching and advocated for collaboration between hunters and ranchers during her five years on the Commission. Then, in 2013, new legislation established the Game and Fish Commission Appointment Recommendation Board to which Sue was appointed by Governor Jan Brewer. Sue was re-appointed to the Board by Governor Douglas Ducey for a five-year term beginning in 2017.
In 1979, Jim, together with his father Ken, Sr. and brother Tom, joined together to establish Chilton Ranch & Cattle Company, a cow-calf ranching operation at the Diamond Bell west of Tucson. In 1987, Jim and his wife Sue and their sons Ken and Tomas purchased a 50,000-acre ranch south of Arivaca, Arizona that expanded the family operation.
Jim and Sue are best known for their defense of their ranch in a successful lawsuit against the Center for Biological Diversity for libel and slander, for their decades of work with several ranch related organizations and for their advocacy for securing the International Boundary.
Jim was honored as Rancher of the Year in 2002 by the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association and three years later, won the Arizona Farm Bureau Oscar. In 2005, he received the True Grit Award from the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association and the Individual of the Year Award from the Coalition of Arizona/New Mexico Counties. In 2005 his wife and he received The Arizona Farm Bureau Environmental Stewardship Award and in 2018 they received the Arizona Association of Conservation Districts State Conservation Leadership Award.
Tom and Kathy Chilton
Tom Chilton, born in 1947, has dedicated his professional life to farming and ranching in Arizona. At Arizona State University, he met and married Kathryn V. Sprawls, daughter of Wayne Sprawls, a cotton farmer in Pinal and La Paz counties. Kathy grew up in Casa Grande and Maricopa and was chosen the Casa Grande Cotton Wives’ Junior Maid of Cotton in 1967. She has worked with the Arizona Cowbelles as Secretary and on the National Beef Cook-off. She has become an internationally respected Judge of the American Iris Society.
Tom began riding for his parents’ brand at five along Clear Creek southeast of Camp Verde, Dick Hart grazing allotment and then later on the Laurel Leaf Ranch on Mingus Mountain with Jerome located approximately in the middle of the ranch. As a rough country cowboy, he established his first herd at thirteen, broke colts and enjoyed roping in local rodeos.
After establishing his own herd, Tom was named Arizona FFA Star Greenhand, starred in football at Mingus Union High School in Jerome and then attended Arizona State University obtaining a degree in Livestock Production Management.
Tom worked for Farm Credit in Willcox while working weekends on his parents’ 7+A ranch on Upper Eagle Creek near where his ancestors ranched north and east of Clifton-Morenci. In 1979, he joined his father and brother in the purchase of the Diamond Bell Ranch southwest of Tucson where he is now the owner.
Tom and Kathy raised their family in Palo Verde, Arizona, where Kathy taught school for 15 years and Tom managed the Buckeye Farm Credit office for 16 years, financing many farmers in the area. Their daughter Rebecca A. and son John T. Chilton followed the tradition of their parents by helping on the ranch while participating in 4-H, FFA and Jr. Rodeo.
For eleven years, Tom was a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association where he team roped in numerous rodeos across the west. Later he joined in the management of Chilton Ranch & Cattle Company for both the Diamond Bell Ranch and the Chilton Arivaca Ranch. He has been the managing partner for both ranches since the early 1990s.
Recognized for his lifetime contribution to Agriculture, the University of Arizona College of Agriculture granted Tom their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. Tom’s major contributions to the livestock industry include serving as Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association President, Foundation Board Member, and Executive Committee member. Earlier, Tom served as President of the Pima, Pinal and Santa Cruz counties Cattle Growers Association affiliate (SACPA). In addition, Tom was honored to be selected to be a member of AG 100.
John and Yoon Chilton
John Chilton, son of Thomas B. Chilton and Kathryn Chilton, is a graduate of the University of Arizona College of Agriculture with a degree in Agricultural and Economic Resources. John and his wife Yoon have two daughters, Brooklyn and Quinn.
A sixth generation Arizona native, John has dedicated his professional life to agri-business. He began his career as a grain trader with Cargill in 2000. In 2005, John advanced his career in the cotton business with Handwerker-Winburne, Inc. where he has been engaged in the business in Arizona and internationally in foreign market development. He is now the Owner/President of Handwerker-Winburne, Inc. He is former President of the Western Cotton Shippers Association. He is a Board Member of the American Cotton Shippers Association and a delegate to the National Cotton Council.
John is a founding member of the West Valley Mavericks, an organization dedicated to raising money for charities in Maricopa County. He is also a member of the PCH 50 which raises money for Phoenix Childrens Hospital.
John is a former member of the United States Long Range Rifle Team where he represented America in 2013 in both National and World Championships. John has set Arizona, national and international individual records and won gold medals with his team in international competitions at 800, 900 and 1,000 yards.
Affiliations
Ken
Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association – 1946 until his death
Arizona Livestock Board, appointed by two successive governors. Chairman for seven of seven of the ten years. 1976-1986 Served on two Governor’s Rangeland Councils
Jim
Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association – member since 1980
Sue
Arizona Game & Fish Commission – five years working to improve relations between rural residents and Fish & Game
Tom
2007-09 Arizona Cattle Growers’ President
Farm Credit – Willcox Weekends Buckeye Farm Credit – managed – 16 years
PRCA - 11 years team roping
Managing partner Chilton Ranch & Cattle Co. for Diamond Bell & Chilton Arivaca Ranch sin early 1990s.
SACPA President, Foundation Board member, Executive Committee Member
Selected to be member of AG100.
Kathy
Arizona Cowbelles – secretary
National Beef Cook-off.
American Iris Society – judge
Awards
Ken
1988 Arizona Cattle Growers Association - “Cattleman of the Year”
Jim
2003 Rancher of the Year by the Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association
2005 received the True Grit award from Arizona Cattle Growers’ Association
2005 Individual of the Year from the AZ/New Mexico Coalition of Counties
2005 Awarded the Arizona Farm Bureau “Oscar” for outstanding achievement and the Farm Bureau Environmental Stewardship Award
2009 Accepted the Arizona New Mexico Coalition of counties Arizona organization of the year own ward for work of the Arizona cattle growers that are a Federal lands coal committee which she chaired from July 2007 thru July 2009
Sue
2005 Awarded the Arizona Farm Bureau “Oscar” for outstanding achievement and the Farm Bureau Environmental Stewardship Award
Tom
Arizona FFA Star Greenhand
2010 Lifetime Achievement Award – U of A College of Agriculture
Kathy
1967 Casa Grande Cotton Wives’ Junior Maid of Cotton
