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Anne Marion: The Rancher Who Ran the Four Sixes for 40 Years

Burk Burnett's great-granddaughter ran the Four Sixes from 1980 and became one of the most honored women in Western heritage.

Who was Anne W. Marion?

Anne Windfohr Marion was a Fort Worth rancher, business executive and arts patron who took charge of the Four Sixes in 1980 and held it for the rest of her life. She served as president of Burnett Ranches, which Quarter Horse News describes as four West Texas properties totaling about 275,000 acres, and as chair of Burnett Oil Company.

She died on February 11, 2020, at 81, in California.

Early life and the Burnett inheritance

Marion was born on November 10, 1938, to Anne Burnett Tandy and oilman Jim Hall; Bob Windfohr later adopted her. She was Tandy's only child and the great-granddaughter of Samuel Burk Burnett, the Four Sixes founder. She studied at Briarcliff Junior College, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Geneva, where she studied art history.

According to the National Cowboy Museum profile, her love of ranching came from her mother and from Burk Burnett. In 1980 she took over management of the Four Sixes and, as president of Burnett Ranches, became the face of the operation.

How did Marion run the Four Sixes?

Quarter Horse News says she was known for hiring capable staff and for planning ahead for disasters. Her family had helped found the American Quarter Horse Association in the 1940s, and under her leadership the Four Sixes kept pace with advances in breeding science and technology.

The ranch sits in King County, according to the Texas Spur obituary. She was also a director emeritus of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and president of the Burnett Foundation and Burnett Companies.

The Key to Marion's Success

Marion inherited a large operation, but the record shows she kept it modern and kept it in the family. The sources describe a leader who delegated, planned for risk, and used the ranch's wealth for public causes.

The pages consulted give no figures on profits or herd size, so the lessons below stick to what is documented.

  • Hire strong people: the Quarter Horse News obituary says she was known for hiring capable staff.
  • Plan for disaster: she was known for preparing for emergencies before they came.
  • Keep the breeding program current: the Four Sixes kept pace with scientific and technological advances in horse breeding.
  • Run the business as a group: she led Burnett Ranches, the Burnett Foundation and Burnett Oil as one family enterprise.
  • Use wealth for public work: she funded hospitals, museums and the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.

Arts patron and philanthropist

With her husband, John Louis Marion, whom she married in 1988, she founded the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, which opened in 1997. She chaired it for 20 years and became chairman emeritus in 2017. She also backed the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art's Tadao Ando building, which opened in 2002, and served on the boards of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Kimbell Art Museum.

In healthcare, she funded the Marion Emergency Care Center at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth and supported Eisenhower Health in California.

Honors and recognition

The Texas Spur lists a long run of honors: the Golden Deed and Charles Goodnight Award in 1993, the Texas Business Hall of Fame and the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in 1996, the AQHA Merle Wood Humanitarian Award in 1999, the National Golden Spur Award in 2001, the Boss of the Plains Award in 2003, the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2014. Quarter Horse News adds the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2005.

Sources differ on her Hall of Great Westerners induction: one page gives 2009 in its header and 1981 in its text, and the Texas Spur says 2009.

Learn more about Anne Marion and the Four Sixes

For the founder's story, see the profile of Burk Burnett on this site. For more on Quarter Horse ranching, browse the farm.FM ranching section or read a farm.FM story about the Four Sixes and Quarter Horses.

Timeline

  1. 1938Born November 10
  2. 1980Takes over management of the Four Sixes
  3. 1988Marries John Louis Marion
  4. 1997Georgia O'Keeffe Museum opens in Santa Fe
  5. 2002Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art's Tadao Ando building opens
  6. 2007Inducted into the AQHA Hall of Fame
  7. 2014Inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame
  8. 2020Dies February 11 in California

Frequently asked questions

Who was Anne Marion?

Anne Windfohr Marion (1938-2020) was a Fort Worth rancher and philanthropist who ran Burnett Ranches and the 6666 Ranch from 1980. She was Burk Burnett's great-granddaughter and a co-founder of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum.

Who owned the Four Sixes Ranch before it was sold?

Anne Marion owned and led Burnett Ranches, including the Four Sixes, from 1980 until she died in 2020. Her estate later sold the ranch.

What is Anne Marion known for in the horse world?

Her family helped found the American Quarter Horse Association in the 1940s, and she led a breeding program at the Four Sixes. She entered the AQHA Hall of Fame in 2007.

What did Anne Marion do for the arts?

With her husband she founded the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, which opened in Santa Fe in 1997. She also supported the Fort Worth Museum of Modern Art and served on the boards of MoMA and the Kimbell.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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