Samuel Burk Burnett was born on January 1, 1849, in Bates County, Missouri,[1][2] to parents originally from Virginia.

[5] In 1868, at the age of nineteen, "Burk" Burnett, as he was known,[3] purchased one hundred head of cattle which were branded '6666,' from Frank Crowley.

[1] Later that year, he purchased 1,300 more cattle and drove them along the Chisholm Trail to the open range land by the Little Wichita River.

He was the organization's second president, noted for expanding the scope of the event to include exhibits and a rodeo, and renaming to the Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show.

After his death, she sued and managed to secure a settlement of several million dollars, but did not inherit his ranching or oil concerns.

His ranching and oil interests were held in trust until his granddaughter, Anne, received her inheritance in 1922.

[1] The town of Burkburnett in Wichita County, Texas was named in his honor by President Theodore Roosevelt.

[1] Burnett was a member of the Elks, Knights of Pythias, and the River Crest Country Club in Fort Worth.