Richard H. McCarty was born in Meigs County, Tennessee in 1857. His family came to Texas when he was young and settled in the Gainesville area, where he made his home for about 28-30 years. He would later go on to marry Margaret L. Robinson on November 6, 1984 in Montague of Montague County.

When the Spanish-American War broke out, he volunteered and served from April 1898 to April 1899. After the war, Mr. and Mrs. McCarty came to Albany, where Colonel McCarty was admitted to the bar as a lawyer and then elected county attorney in 1900. Soon after in 1902, he bought out the Albany News and began his newspaper career. He edited the newspaper until 1907, when he sold out and started newspaper work for Weatherford & Aspermont for a few years. During this time, he also served as secretary of the Cisco Chamber of Commerce. He was most known for running a large ad in the Cisco paper that read “Dam the Canyon!” As a result, 10 years later, the canyon was dammed which led to the creation of Lake Cisco.

In 1917, McCarty returned to Shackelford County and bought out the Albany News once again and also operated a moving picture show for a brief period of time. During this time, his unique style of writing and his expressions of wisdom grew popular. With this, by the 1920’s, the Albany News was one of the most quoted county weeklies in the United States. McCarty was also credited with coining the phrase, “Albany, Home of the Hereford,” which made Albany known by tourists from near and far.

By 1931, McCarty had lost most of his vision and was not as active in the newspaper after this. However, he continued to write strongly until 1942. He later became bedbound and spent three years in the Veteran’s hospital in Waco, Texas, where he later passed away in 1945.

McCarty fought for what was good and right for Albany and Shackelford County. He fought using demands and campaigns he wrote for the newspaper. These eventually led to Shackelford County receiving better roads and also led to Albany gaining a better water supply. Due to his efforts towards better water, Lake McCarty was named after him, to honor his death and his efforts.

 

Sarah Nicolaysen

Summer Museum Studies Intern