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OLD
WEST LEGENDS
Complete List of Old West Lawmen
More Lists:
Explorers
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Gunfighters |
Lawmen |
Native Americans |
Others |
Outlaws |
Outlaw
Gangs |
Scoundrels
| Soldiers
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Trailblazers & Cowboys |
Vigilantes
| Women |
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The
Old West was often a lawless place, where
outlaws frequently reigned supreme. However, as more and more families, women,
and working pioneers headed westward, they demanded law and order. Marshals and
sheriffs were in high demand in some of the most lawless settlements, such as
Dodge City,
Kansas and
Las Vegas,
New Mexico, as well as the numerous mining
camps that dotted the west, such as
Deadwood,
South Dakota; Coloma,
California;
and
Leadville,
Colorado.
Many of wild and rowdy places were initially
populated by men and often attracted seedier elements of society to their many
saloons, dance halls, gambling parlors and brothels. But, in any burgeoning
community, there were also lawful businessmen and hard-working pioneers who
craved a sense of stability, and demanding law and order, made efforts to hire
peacekeepers. Where this was not possible or the lawmen were ineffective,
invariably vigilante groups would form.
Though the vast majority of these
Old West lawmen
were honorable and heroic figures, ironically, many of them rode both sides of
the fence and can be found on both our Lawmen List as well as our
Outlaw List.
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Find a Lawman
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Index A B
C D
E
F
G
H I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
A
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Agapito Abeyta - A lawman in Mora County, New Mexico, Abeyta was
implicated in the murder of John Doherty.
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John R. Abernathy, aka: Wolf Catcher, Catch 'Em Alive Jack (1876–1941) -
Abernathy was the last
U.S. Deputy Marshal in
Oklahoma
Territory, serving from 1906 to 1910. He also served as a U.S. Secret Service
agent and worked as a wildcat oil driller. He earned his nicknames by capturing
hundreds of wolves single handedly without ever having to kill one. He would
prevent the wolves from attacking him by jamming his hands down their throats.
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John Hicks "J.H."
Adams (18??-1878) - Santa Clara County,
California Sheriff and
U.S. Deputy Marshal. Was killed in the line of duty with Marshal Cornelius Finley in 1878.
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Eugenio Alarid - A
lawman
and
outlaw,
Alarid was an officer in Las Vegas,
New Mexico
in the 1890's, while at the same time belonging to Silva's White Caps gang.
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Alfred Y. Allee
(1855-1896) - A
Texas Ranger,
Allee was appointed Deputy
Sheriff of Karnes County,
Texas,
in 1882 and was later made Deputy Sheriff of Frio County,
Texas.
He shot and killed robber
Brack Cornett
in 1888. He
was stabbed to death in a barroom brawl in
Laredo,
Texas, in
1896.
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Abe Allen - A
U.S. Deputy Marshal
for the Indian Nations working out of
Judge Isaac Parker's
court in the 1880s and 1890s.
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Charles Allison - A
lawman
turned outlaw,
Allison was appointed deputy sheriff of Conjos County,
Colorado,
but soon organized a band of
outlaws.
Robbing stages between
Colorado
and
New Mexico,
he was captured in 1881 by
Sheriff Matt Kyle and sent to prison. He was released in 1890.
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Dave Allison (18?? -1923) - A career
lawman,
Allison
served as a six-time elected sheriff in Midland,
Texas; an
Arizona Ranger; a
Texas Ranger;
the Roswell,
New Mexico
chief of police; a bodyguard for former
Tombstone
boomtowner and mining magnate Bill Green; a West
Texas
constable; and a stock association detective during his lifetime. He was killed
by two infamous cattle rustlers named Hill Loftis and
Milton Paul in 1923.
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Burton
"Burt" Alvord (1866-1910) -
Lawman
and outlaw, was deputy sheriff in
Cochise County,
Arizona, under Sheriff John Slaughter in 1886. He became town
constable of Fairbank in the early 1890s, then town constable of Willcox where he
killed Bill King.
Alvord later led a band of train robbers.
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David L Anderson, aka: William “Billy” Wilson, Buffalo Bill (1862-1918)
– More commonly known as Billy Wilson,
Anderson rode with
Billy the Kid before being convicted and sent to
prison. After his release, he was made the
Sheriff of Terrell County,
Texas
in 1905. He was killed in the
line of duty in 1918.
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William H.Anderson (18??-1878) - A
U.S. Deputy Marshal
in Dallas after the
Civil War,
Anderson tracked Bill Collins, a wanted train robber, into Canada where
they shot and killed each other in a gunfight.
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William "Red" Angus (1849-1922) - Johnson County,
Wyoming
Sheriff. Involved in the Johnson County War
that
arose between the owners of large and small ranches in the area.
Arizona Rangers
(1901-1909) - Organized in 1901 to protect Arizona Territory from
outlaws
and rustlers. After accomplishing their goals, they were disbanded in 1909.
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John Barclay Armstrong (1850-1913) - He enlisted
with the Travis Rifles in 1871 and joined the
Texas Rangers in 1875, where he
helped in the capture John King Fisher in 1874 and tracked and captured John
Wesley Hardin in 1877. He retired as a captain in 1882 and died May 1, 1913.
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George Washington Arrington, aka: John C. Orrick (1844-1923) -
Texas Ranger
and Wheeler County,
Texas Sheriff.
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Ira Aten (1862–1953) - Aten
joined the
Texas Rangers
in 1883, and became captain of Company D. He was elected sheriff of
Castro County,
Texas
in 1893. He tracked and shot down
outlaw
Judd Roberts, an associate of Butch Cassidy's
Hole-in-the-Wall gang.
B
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Elfego Baca
(1865–1945) - Socorro County,
New Mexico
lawman, attorney, and
U.S. Deputy Marshal.
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William "Billy" Bailey, aka: Bill Wilson, William Baylor (18??-1871)
- A
lawman
and cowboy,
Bailey was working as a Special Policeman in Newton,
Kansas when he was killed by Mike McCluskie. The shooting soon led to the famous
Hide Park Gunfight when
Bailey's cowboy friends sought revenge.
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Frank Baker (18??-1878) - An
outlaw
member of the
Jesse Evans Gang and a
lawman,
Baker served as a deputy sheriff in the Lincoln County,
New Mexico.
Embroiled in the
Lincoln
County War, he rode in the posse
that killed John Tunstall. He was killed by
Billy the Kid on March 10, 1878.
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David Monticello "Bud" Ballew (1877-1922) - A
noted
gunfighter and Ardmore,
Oklahoma deputy, Ballew was an efficient
lawman
who was heavy on the trigger. After killing a number of men, he was shot
down by Wichita Falls,
Texas Police Chief when he tried to arrest Ballew for
disturbing the peace. Ballew died on May 5, 1922.
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Charles "Charlie" C. Bassett (1847-1896) -
Ford County Under Sheriff to Bat Masterson
and later, Sheriff;
Dodge City,
Kansas
Marshal with
Wyatt
and
James Earp working as deputies.
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Roy Bean (1825-1903) -
Served as a
California Ranger before becoming Justice of the Peace in
Langtry,
Texas. Referred to himself as the "Only Law West of the Pecos."
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Judge Roy Bean
This image available for
photographic prints and downloads
HERE!

Frank Canton,
outlaw
turned
U.S.
Marshal
This image available for
photographic prints and downloads
HERE!
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John Beckwith (1853-1879) - Deputy Sheriff under
Sheriff William Brady during the
Lincoln County War
of
New Mexico, was
killed by a rustler.
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Robert "Bob" W.
Beckwith (1850-1878) - Brother of
John Beckwith, Bob was a deputy sheriff under Sheriff William Brady during the
Lincoln County War of
New Mexico, and was
killed during the battle at the McSween house.
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Johnny Behan (1845-1912) - Corrupt Cochise County,
Arizona Sheriff, sided with the Cowboy faction against the Earps in
Tombstone.
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Hamilton Bell (1853-1947) - Sheriff of Ford County,
Kansas for three decades following
lawman Bat Masterson. He arrested more
alleged
outlaws, with a warrant, than any other
lawman in the West.
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James W. Bell, aka: Lone Bell (18??–1881) -
Texas Ranger in the mid 1870's and deputy sheriff under
Pat Garrett during the
Lincoln County War.
He was killed by
Billy the Kid while he was guarding the
outlaw in the Lincoln
courthouse on April 28, 1881.
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John X. Beidler
(1831-1890) - A farmer in
Kansas,
Beidler was associated with John Brown before the abolitionist was executed. He
then moved to
Texas,
Colorado and
Montana, where he became a member of a
vigilante committee, before becoming a legitimate
U.S. Deputy Marshal.
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William J. Brady (1825-1878) - Sheriff of Lincoln
County,
New Mexico, killed in the
Lincoln County War by
Billy the Kid.
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George Bravin
(1862-1918)
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Bravin served as a
Tombstone
Deputy Sheriff, a
U.S. Deputy Marshal,
and a
Pearce,
Arizona
Constable.
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William Milton Breakenridge (1846–1931) - Cochise
County,
Arizona
Deputy Sheriff under
Johnny Behan during the time of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Went on to serve as a
U.S. Deputy Marshal, a surveyor, and as a detective for the Southern Pacific Railroad.
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Richard M. Brewer (1850-1878) -
Constable in Lincoln County,
New Mexico and involved in the
Lincoln County War.
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Jack L. Bridges (1838-??) -
Lawman
in Kansas City and
Dodge City,
U.S. Deputy Marshal in Hays and Wichita,
Kansas.
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William L. "Buffalo Bill" Brooks (1832–1874) -
Lawman
turned
outlaw, Brooks served as Marshal in Newton
and
Dodge City,
Kansas,
before being arrested for horse theft. He and two other men were lynched by
a vigilante mob
in Caldwell,
Kansas on July 29, 1874.
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