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1 Prologue, 1853–1883 O N July 24, 1881, twenty-seven-year-old Robert Justus Kleberg sat down at his desk to write to his parents about a recent trip he had taken, one that would ultimately change his life. Robert was just beginning his law career. He had attended the law course at the University of Virginia the year before, been admitted to the bar inTexas, and started a practice in Cuero before moving to Corpus Christi, where he formed a law partnership with Judge John W. Stayton.1 A Desert Empire roberT eNTered The legal profession on the heels of his father; law had thus come naturally for Robert. Robert Justus Kleberg I, a respected lawyer, also served as chief justice of DeWitt County.2 He and his wife, Philippine Sophie Caroline Luise Rosalie von Roeder (usually known as Rosalie or Rosa), and their extended family had come to Texas from Prussia in 1834. The von Roeders had a familial connection to the Prussian nobleman Simon Heinrich Sack, who had arranged to provide scholarships to male family members and dowries for female members; this provided the von Roeder/Kleberg clans a unique opportunity on the Texas frontier. Robert used his legacy to pay for his law training in Virginia.3 The Kleberg family had distinguished itself almost immediately upon arriving in Texas. The Prussian immigrant, Robert Kleberg I, ...

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