Episode 19: Jeff Roche

In this episode of Words on a Wire, host Will Rose speaks with historian Jeff Roche, author of The Conservative Frontier: Texas and the Origins of the New Right (University of Texas Press), about how West Texas became one of the most conservative regions in American political life. Roche traces the roots of modern conservatism back to the late nineteenth century, beginning with the rise of ranching culture after the displacement of Indigenous peoples and the collapse of the bison economy. He explains how the entrepreneurial, anti-state ethos of early ranchers—embodied by figures like Charles Goodnight—combined with the mythology of the cowboy to form a durable regional identity centered on self-reliance, individualism, and suspicion of government authority. The conversation also explores the defining role of geography and environment in shaping West Texas culture, from its flat, arid plains to its chronic vulnerability to drought. Roche highlights the Dust Bowl as a turning point that shattered faith in agricultural abundance while deepening resentment toward federal intervention. The episode concludes with a discussion of Barry Goldwater’s influence on the rise of the New Right, showing how West Texas conservatives helped redefine American conservatism in the mid-twentieth century and laid the groundwork for the modern Republican Party.