Force Without Fanfare

Book excerpt: In this faithful memoir, dictated at the age of ninety-three, K. M. Van Zandt recalls the details of a long and eventful life and of the struggle to build Fort Worth from a tiny "outpost on the Trinity" to a modern city. The son of Isaac Van Zandt--an active patriot during the days of the Republic of Texas and once a candidate for governor--K. M. Van Zandt began his career as a lawyer and surveyor for the railroad in East Texas. In 1861, he joined the Confederate army and served as an officer in the Seventh Texas Infantry. After the Civil War, he joined the wave of migration westward, settling in Fort Worth in 1874. A member of the firm of Tidball, Van Zandt and Company, Bankers, he served as president of the firm's bank from 1874 until his death in 1930. A vigorous civic worker, Van Zandt helped bring churches, schools, railroads, and new business and industry to Fort Worth. He represented Tarrant County in the state legislature and was active on the city council and the school board. First published in 1969.