Cartwright, Reddick Newton

R. N. Cartwright, who was born in Boone County, Iowa, on October 22, 1858, came from a family of English origin known for their mechanical genius as wagonmakers, wheelwrights, and mechanics. He was the son of John Cartwright, a blacksmith and wagonmaker from Illinois, and the great-grandson of Reddick Cartwright. Growing up in a family of talented siblings, including State Senator G. W. Cartwright and tool manufacturer J. M. Cartwright, he eventually channeled his own mechanical skills into local industry. Alongside his father, he helped invent the lightweight Cartwright Pruning Shears in their Malaga blacksmith shop to replace the heavy, unwieldy tools of the era. He actively helped build this successful pruning shear business before eventually selling his interest to his brother.

In his agricultural pursuits, Mr. Cartwright owned and lived on a fine twenty-acre ranch adjoining the old family home place for thirty years, transforming it from a weed patch into a highly valuable tract. He sold this property in April 1919 and subsequently purchased another twenty acres in the Nees Colony School District to plant fig trees and develop a new home. He married Emma N. Hyden in May 1890, and together they raised two daughters, Mary and Lucille. Beyond his personal enterprises, he helped organize the Malaga School District, served as a school trustee, built early local roads and bridges, and actively boosted ranchers associations to establish a stable market for raisins. A Democrat in national politics, he temporarily relocated to Clovis while preparing his new ranch for his family.