John Sparks

John Sparks (August 30, 1843 – May 22, 1908), nicknamed Honest John, was an American politician who was the 10th Governor of Nevada. Like his predecessor, Reinhold Sadler, Sparks was a cattleman and his rise to political power was evidence of the decline of the mining industry and the rise of the ranching industry in Nevada. He was a member of the Silver – Democratic Party. In 1958, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Biography Early life Sparks was born on August 30, 1843, in Winston County, Mississippi. His family was one of those known as "new lands families", who specialized in developing land on the frontier and then selling out and moving on as settlement in the area increased. His family followed the frontier through Arkansas, moving on to Texas in 1857 by which point they were moderately wealthy. In Texas they began ranching cattle, and John became a proficient cowboy. Cattleman career In 1861, Sparks joined the Texas Rangers, probably to avoid being drafted into the Confederate Army. His unit was tasked with protecting settlers from the Comanche, and he did not fight in the Civil War. After the war, Sparks drove cattle in the huge Longhorn drives of the era, at first working for John Meyers, and later in partnership with his brothers. In 1872, Sparks married Rachel Knight and they had two daughters, Maude and Rachel.