Howard Louis Kohn (November 8, 1861 – November 2, 1933) and Clara (McGowan) Kohn (November 20, 1899 – March 7, 1988) were New Mexican businesspeople and ranchers who owned and operated the T4 Cattle Company, one of the largest private ranches in the United States, encompassing approximately 220,000 acres. They also held interests in a hotel, banks, and a mercantile shop.
Howard Kohn was born in the Cherry Creek area of Denver, Colorado, to Jewish immigrant parents Samuel and Yetta Kohn. His mother Yetta established several businesses in La Cinta, New Mexico, including a post office, ferry, mercantile store, and the 4V cattle ranch, which Howard managed. In 1902, the family moved to Montoya, New Mexico, where Howard and his brothers operated the Kohn Bros. Mercantile Store, which traded in livestock, wool, and hides. Howard was known for shipping cattle from Texas into New Mexico in groups as large as 1,200 at a time. He was called the "cattle king of the Montoya Valley" and was credited with helping raise Quay County's cattle population from 10,000 to 50,000 head between 1909 and 1912.
Clara McGowan was born on November 20, 1899, to Pearl McGowan and John Leonard McGowan. After her father's death, she was hired by Howard as his bookkeeper. They married in 1923 and moved to Tucumcari, New Mexico. They had a daughter named Yetta in May 1927.
After Howard's death in 1933 from smoke inhalation and a stroke suffered while fighting a fire at the ranch, Clara took over operation of the T4 Cattle Company and other business interests. By 1938, the ranch had doubled in size, and in 1947 it expanded further with the purchase of part of the Bell Ranch, growing to 180,000 contiguous acres. Clara later married Dr. Thomas B. Hoover in 1938; he died in 1985. Clara died on March 7, 1988. The ranch subsequently passed to their daughter Yetta Kohn Bidegain and her family.
