Frances Elaine Rosenthal Kallison (November 29, 1908 - December 30, 2004) was a pioneering American rancher, historian, and philanthropist.^[1] In 2016, she became the first Jewish woman inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in recognition of her courage, resilience and independence.^[2][3]

Kallison was born November 29, 1908, in Fort Worth, Texas, a second-generation Texan and the only child of Mose A. Rosenthal and Mary Neumegen. Kallison briefly attended Vassar College before transferring to the University of Chicago, where she received a bachelor's degree in economics in 1929, shortly before the stock market crash in October that year. Kallison returned to Texas, where she met Perry Kallison (b. 1903, d. 1999); they married on March 8, 1931, and settled in San Antonio. The couple had three children. Frances Kallison died in San Antonio, Texas, on December 30, 2004.^[4][5]

For much of her life, Kallison worked alongside her husband and his family managing the family enterprises, including the largest farm and ranch supply store in the Southwest, and a ranch that bred prize-winning Hereford cattle, Angora goats, and sheep.^[6] Most of the ranch became part of Government Canyon State Natural Area in 2002.^[7][8]

During the Depression, Kallison led the National Council of Jewish Women to lobby the city of San Antonio to open a maternity ward at the public hospital, as well as a well-baby clinic and prenatal clinic. She also worked for the repeal of Texas's poll tax.^[5]

After World War II, Kallison was among the founders of the Ladies' Auxiliary to the Bexar County Sheriff's Mounted Posse, a precision riding team that regularly performed at parades and expositions and at hospitals and orphanages. In 1948 she served as captain of the posse.^[9] The Mounted Posse appeared on-screen in Two Guys from Texas (1948), Rio Grande (1950), and in an episode of The Cisco Kid. Funds raised went to the public hospital and other charities.^[5]

Kallison was a long-time supporter of the arts, from small artists' projects to serving as a trustee of the San Antonio Museum Association and the Witte Museum.^[4][10]

In her late 60s, Kallison's long-time interest in Jewish history motivated her to return to school. She received a master's degree from Trinity University in San Antonio.^[9] In 1979, she helped establish the Texas Jewish Historical Society. She has been called "the acknowledged authority on the history of the Jews of San Antonio."^[4]