Portside

Born in Texas, Gene Autry grew up in Oklahoma at a time when it was a hotbed of radical and progressive ideas. As a young man he admired Roosevelt and Truman, even though he later  supported Reagan and Goldwater. Throughout his life he remained a registered Democrat, but called himself an independent. Wealthy, thanks to his investments in real estate, radio stations and the California Angels baseball team, he later endowed the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum in Los Angeles.