Abel Head "Shanghai" Pierce

Abel Head Pierce, known as Shanghai Pierce (June 29, 1834 – December 26, 1900) was a Texas rancher. He was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island and was a direct descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins, with nine generations in between.[1] He was related to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, U.S. President Franklin Pierce, and Thomas Wentworth Pierce, builder of the Southern Pacific Railroad in Texas.[2] At the age of nineteen, "Shanghai" stowed away on a ship in the New York harbor. He worked for his passage and arrived in Indianola, Texas, five months later without money or a job. He went to work for W. B. Grimes as a ranch hand. By shrewdness, hard work, and rugged determination he became an authority on cattle while working for Grimes.[3] How Pierce acquired the name "Shanghai" is a matter of speculation. J. Frank Dobie reported that it was due to Pierce's resemblance to a banty Shanghai rooster: long-legged and short-panted. Wharton County folklore holds that the name resulted from his ruthless business dealings. Pierce died on December 26, 1900.[4] Pierce, Texas is named for him.[5]

Fictional portrayals

Ted de Corsia played Pierce in the 1957 film Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Roy Roberts was cast as Pierce in a 1957 episode of the ABC/Desilu Productions television series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, with Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp, then the deputy marshal of Dodge City, Kansas. Douglas Fowley guest-starred with Roberts in the episode.[6]

George Tobias played Shanghai Pierce in the episode of the television series Laramie, starring John Smith and Robert Fuller [7]

References

  1. ↑ "A Guide to the Abel Head Shanghai Pierce Papers, 1870-1905".
  2. ↑ "Handbook of Texas Online".
  3. ↑ Trail Drivers. University of Texas Press.
  4. ↑ Cow People, J. Frank Dobie, University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-71060-3
  5. ↑ Emmett, Chris. "Texas Handbook Online: ABEL HEAD PIERCE". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  6. ↑ ""The Big Bellyache", The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, September 24, 1957". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  7. ↑ ""The Legend of Lily", "Laramie", 26 January 1960". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved January 3, 2018.


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