Thaddeus Hogg is a fictional character featured in the American television series, The Dukes of Hazzard. He is the great-grandfather of Jefferson Davis Hogg and Abraham Lincoln Hogg. The role of Thaddeus Hogg was played by Sorrell Booke who also portrayed Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln Hogg.
Overview[]
In the 1870s, Thaddeus ran the 'Hogg dynasty' in Hazzard County, then known as Sleepy City.
He owned everything, including the local sheriff, Rufus Z. Coltrane.
His goal was to make Sleepy City a booming cattle town. He blamed the Duke farmers for taking up good cattle land, thereby causing ranchers to move on.
In relation to the times, Thaddeus was more willing to cause some destruction than Boss, as he had the Duke's barn burned and hired Frank and Jesse James as enforcers. However, he did share Boss' desire to avoid gun-play. His plans were stopped by the efforts of Joe, Hank and Dixie Duke.
Appearances[]
Go West, Young Dukes[]
In June of 1872 he visits Jeremiah and Jenny Duke three times, warning them to sell their farm as he doesn’t want farming on cattle land. He says all the farmers are why the cattle people left the area. When they refuse he has their barn burned down.
He and Rufus exit the Saloon to see the Dukes and Jeeter waiting in town. Rufus tells him he doesn’t have to worry as he has already hired some men to assure that Joe Duke and anyone else who is coming won’t make it to town. When Rufus says he hired a few gun hands, Thaddeus says he doesn’t care if Rufus hired the U.S. Cavalry, he wants the farmers off the land or the cattle folk will never come back. He has Rufus light his cigar.
In the saloon he is playing poker. He pretends to drop a card to switch it out with a better one. However as he puts all his chips in and wins, Rufus tells him he dropped a card. He tries to deny it but Rufus insists, accidentally revealing that he cheated to the other player. He comments he doesn’t know what he would do without Rufus but he aims to find out. They go outside and Rufus says he’s sorry and he didn’t know Thaddeus wasn’t playing with a full hand. He says it’s because Rufus isn’t playing with a full deck and asks if he knows what that just cost him. He remarks he lost Rufus’ next month’s salary. He tells Rufus that when the stage coach comes and Jeremiah finds out he won’t be getting any help, maybe he will give up and leave. He says then they will get the cattle people back and he has a lot of money invested. They see the stage coach arrive. Hearing someone named Duke get off he reminds Rufus of what he said earlier about no Dukes getting through. Rufus says something must have went wrong and he says the only thing that went wrong was him letting Rufus handle it.
He and Rufus approach the Dukes and he greets them and Jeeter before asking ‘and just who have we here?’ before Jenny introduces their nephew Joe. He says he’s pleased to meet him, shaking Joe’s hand. When Jeremiah tells Joe to count his fingers just to be safe, he says Joe is safe enough in sleepy city. When Rufus is introduced he tries to show off and Thaddeus says he has the slowest brain. Joe and Dixie tells them about the gun slingers trying to hold up the coach and being ran off by a drifter and Joe. He thanks Joe for his help saying they run a very clean town. Jenny decides they should leave and go home before something else burns down, directing that at Thaddeus who says he heard about that terrible thing. He says he hopes nothing else terrible happens to them. Joe says he’s going to stick around to see that he can make sure it doesn’t. The Dukes all leave along with Jeeter. Dixie approaches him asking if there is any job openings. He tells her that he’s afraid not with how dead business is. He remarks that a pretty girl like her might just stir up some trade and says he’ll give her 50% of all the drinks she can sell and she takes it. He tells her to go get in the saloon and get changed. Dixie leaves and he remarks Joe is who the Dukes were waiting on and Rufus says he don’t need to worry. He says the farmer are what is making it a ghost town and will put the city to sleep forever and he won’t let it happen. He has Rufus carry the money box. Rufus remarks he is going to give the gun hands a piece of his mind, to which he says to make sure it’s a small piece.
He is taking a bath in his office with Rufus scrubbing his back, telling him to take it easy. When Rufus says it isn’t the work he does, he remarks for Rufus to tell him what work he does do so that when he fires him as sheriff he will know what work Rufus is out of. He tells Rufus to scrub gentle and to hush up as he is trying to come up with a plan of what to do next. He asks where his duck is before looking around to find his duck. He and Rufus fight over it, accidentally pulling the ducks head off. Rufus asks if it would make him happy if he quacked and Thaddeus says it might but what would make him happier is if Rufus flapped his wings and flew out of there.
After getting dressed, they decide to play pool. When Rufus agrees he suggests 10 cents a ball and tell Rufus to break. He tells Rufus to hurry up and when Jesse comes in and startles Rufus, Rufus jumps the ball into his face. He yells at Rufus and Rufus says it’s not his fault, explaining that these men were the ones he hired. He agrees it isn’t Rufus’ fault before asking the men who they think they are. When Jesse tells them ‘they’ took them by surprise, he says there was only one Duke but learns there was a second in the bushes. They learn the second Duke is Hank Duke and he’s currently in the bar. He becomes alarmed as everyone is pulling out guns and yells that he doesn’t want guns and he uses brains not bullets and that they are going to get rid of Hank but legally. He says they will frame Hank for horse thieving and claim Joe was helping him. He goes to help set up Hank an tells Frank and Jesse to keep Hank in the saloon.
After changing Hank’s horses with one of Hogg’s, Thaddeus and Rufus go into the saloon to see a fight. Thaddeus yells to wait a minute and hold everything. He sees Frank, Jesse, Hank, Joe, and Dixie. He tells Rufus to do their duty. Dixie explains that the James brothers started it but he tells her to hush and that he wants to know who owns the brown gelding with the brown saddlebags. He tells Hank that this brand in on Hank’s horse, saying the horse is his. He tells Rufus to arrest Hank and Joe but are stunned when Hank throws Jesse at them. He falls on Jesse and is pulled off him by Frank. He then tells Frank and Jesse to go get Joe.
As they lock Hank up, he says they aren’t going to get away with it and he comments ‘well, maybe we will Mr. Duke, and maybe we won’t’. He says justice must be served and horse thieving is about the worse crime a man can commit. They leave to head to the Duke Farm but he finds the wheel on his wagon has fallen off. He tells Rufus to take a nearby wagon and that they are going to the Duke Farm to get their land. He explains his plan is to have Jeremiah Duke sign over his land to save Hank from prison.
After arriving at the Duke Farm, Thaddeus and Rufus tell Jeremiah and Jenny about Hank. When Jeremiah says he framed Hank real good, he acts offended saying he wouldn’t do a thing like that. He says Hank can go to jail for life if a ‘necktie party’ doesn’t get to him first. He says that’s why he road out there, as he is concerned and he just wants to help. He offers them a chance to get Hank out of jail an him and Joe out of town. He explains they would need to sign over the farm land. Jeremiah agrees, saying he wins and he pulls out the note of transfer. When Jeremiah asks how he knows Thaddeus will keep his word, he pulls out another paper to sign to promise dropping all charges and guarantee both nephews safe passage home. They sign.
As they return to the Saloon, they are suddenly taken hostage by Frank and Jesse. They ride out of town again at gun point. As the Dukes catch up, he helps stop the horses. In gratitude for the Dukes saving his and Rufus' lives, he returns the Farm to Jeremiah.
Legacy[]
Everything of his was eventually passed down to Boss Hogg in 1984. He had kept the paper that signed over the Duke property to him, but did not include anything about having signed it back to Jeremiah.
Images[]
