Jack Meyers Potter was a cowboy and trail driver. Born in Prarie Lea, Caldwell Co., Texas. One of 15 children.
His father, Andrew Potter, was a militant pioneer minister who served under Col. Jack Meyers in the Confederate Army. Andrew named Jack after him. Andrew had been known to lay his gun on the pulpit to discourage any rowdies from breaking up the church services.
Jack's ambition, as a child, was to be a stage driver. The stage passed by his house and one of the drivers let Jack ride atop the stage. Freight caravans passed this same route and he longed to be the wagon boss of one of those caravans.
When he was 12, he got a job as a "brush" hand following herds of cattle to market. By the time he was 17 he was a trail boss, driving cattle from Texas to the Dakotas and Wyoming.
He married Miss Cordelia Eddy in 1884 and they had a place at Waring, Texas. They finally settled in Ft. Sumner, NM, where Jack was in charge of the New England Livestock Company. They later traded their property in Texas for land west of Kenton, Okla. It was called the Excondido Ranch and was on the Cimarron River in Union County, NM.
The Potters arrived in Clayton in December 1894 and went to their new ranch. They acquired more land from homesteaders as they left the area. They raised cattle and alfalfa and other feed. Built dams and irrigated the land.
Mrs. Potter moved to Clayton in 1904 to place the children in school. They bought the Fred Grimm Hardware Store and operated it.
Jack authored two books "The Lead Steer and Other Tales" and "Western Trails"
Jack was elected State representative from Union County in 1932 and served 4 years. He was elected several terms as Justice of the Peace.
The Potters had four children: Carl who married Margaret Nicholson, Robert Eddy who married Tommie Johnson, Sarah Gertrude who married John "Jack" Lenhart and Ethel who married George Wade.

Sources: Obituary Nov 29, 1950, Union County Leader. "History of Clayton and Union County, New Mexico". 1962 by Goldianne Thompson. "Not So Wild, The Old West" 1961 by Clara Harvey.
"Union County And Its People" 1980 by Union County Historical Society.
Some dates given in the above sources do not agree.