The Official Website of Gene Autry, America's Favorite Singing Cowboy

Fun Autry Fact:

The California State Museum of Science and Industry in Los Angeles honored Gene during the summer of 1980 with a thirteen-week exhibit and film retrospective.

Gene Autry's Cowboy Code
The Cowboy Code

Updated September 29, 2017

Author Holly George-Warren researched the origins of Gene Autry's Cowboy Code and wrote about it in her award winning book Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry. Here's an excerpt:

Gene's Ten Cowboy Commandments began to evolve from such Autry-related publicity as the item "Nine Cardinal Rules Govern Production of All Autry Films," which ran in the 1949 press book for Riders in the Sky. As early as August 1947, Gene had pronounced cowboy-code mandates during his Melody Ranch radio show dramas. Gene's PR team promoted his Cowboy Code, which was referred to in the 1948 Life magazine feature, and fan magazines began to publicize the rules as they evolved. Tenets promoting an ethical, moral, and patriotic lifestyle had an affinity to those of such youth organizations as the Boy Scouts, which developed similar doctrines. The rules were a natural progression of Gene's philosophies going back to his first Melody Ranch programs – and early pictures.

  1. The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.
  2. He must never go back on his word, or a trust confided in him.
  3. He must always tell the truth.
  4. He must be gentle with children, the elderly, and animals.
  5. He must not advocate or possess racially or religiously intolerant ideas.
  6. He must help people in distress.
  7. He must be a good worker.
  8. He must keep himself clean in thought, speech, action, and personal habits.
  9. He must respect women, parents, and his nation's laws.
  10. The Cowboy is a patriot.

© Autry Qualified Interest Trust

To celebrate Gene Autry's 110th birthday in 2017, Gene Autry Entertainment created two new graphics of The Cowboy Code to share on social media.

 
 

Print your very own copy of Gene Autry’s Cowboy Code!

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