List of Old West lawmen

Last updated April 26, 2024

This is a list of Old West lawmen: notable people who served in various law enforcement positions during the Old West period.

Name	Portrait	Life	Years active	Comments	Ref.
John Hicks Adams	No image available	1830–1878	1864–1878	Sheriff, Santa Clara County, California, Deputy U.S. Marshal, Arizona Territory
Alfred Shea Addis		1832–1886	1883–1886	Territorial Marshal, Tucson, Arizona 1883–1886	Deputy US Marshal, Grant County ^[1]
William "Red" Angus	No image available	1849–1922	1888–1893	Sheriff, Johnson County, Wyoming
Elfego Baca		1865–1945	1884–1890	New Mexico
Phillip Cuney "P.C." Baird	No image available	1862–1928	1882–1884 1888–1898	Sheriff and Texas Ranger, Mason County, Texas
Mariano Barela	No image available	1837–1892		Sheriff and U.S. Marshal, Mesilla, New Mexico
Joel Almon Bascom	No image available	1832–1912		Chief of Police, Provo, Utah and constable of Mona, Utah
John Watson Bell Bascom	No image available	1869–1948		Deputy Sheriff, Uintah County, Utah and constable of Naples, Utah
Charlie Bassett		1847–1896	1873–1879	Sheriff of Ford County, Kansas, Marshal of Dodge City [In Dodge Peace Commission Photograph Bassett is seated in the front row at far left]
Johnny Behan		1845–1912	1871–1882	Sheriff, Cochise County, Arizona Territory
Horace Bell		1830–1918		Los Angeles Ranger
James W. Bell	No image available	1853–1881		Deputy Sheriff, Lincoln County, New Mexico
Sam Bernard	No image available	1880–1964		Deputy Lincoln County, New Mexico, Hillsboro, New Mexico
Carl P.F. "Charles" Birkenfeld	No image available	1852–1923	1904–1917	Constable, Pima County, Arizona
N. K. Boswell		1841–1904		Sheriff, Laramie, Wyoming
William J. Brady		1829–1878	1869–1878	Sheriff, Lincoln County, New Mexico
Billy Breakenridge		1846–1931		Deputy Sheriff and U.S. Marshal, Cochise County, Arizona Territory
William L. Brooks		1832–1874		Marshal, Newton, Kansas and Dodge City, Kansas
Charles "Charley" J. Brown	No image available	1845–1884	1875–1884	Sheriff, Pembina County, Dakota Territory; Deputy U.S. Marshal, Dakota Territory
Henry Newton Brown		1857–1884		Marshal, Tascosa, Texas (ghost town) and Caldwell, Kansas
Neal "Skinny" Brown	No image available	1844–1926	1879–1895	Assistant Marshal, Dodge City, Kansas; U.S. Marshal, Oklahoma Territory
Seth Bullock		1849–1919		Sheriff, Lewis and Clark County, Montana; Sheriff, Lawrence County, South Dakota; U. S. Marshal Dakota Territorych
Mathew Caldwell	No image available	1798–1842		Gonzales Ranging Company of Mounted Volunteers 1836, Sheriff of Gonzales (Guadalupe, Dewitt, Caldwell, Lavaca) Counties 1837, Gonzales & Seguin Texas Rangers 1839
Frank M. Canton		1849–1927		Sheriff, Johnson County, Wyoming; Deputy U.S. Marshal, Oklahoma Territory; Under Sheriff, Q County, Oklahoma
James W. Carr	No image available	1845–1926		Marshal Silverton, Colorado; Marshal Rico, Colorado; Deputy Sheriff Ouray County, Colorado; Deputy Sheriff Dolores County, Colorado
Charles Francis Colcord		1859–1934		Deputy U.S. Marshal, Oklahoma Territory; Chief of Police, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Territory
David J. Cook		1842–1907		Marshal, Denver, Colorado
"Longhair" Jim Courtright		1848–1887		Omaha, Nebraska Marshal, Marshal, Lake Valley, New Mexico; Sheriff, Fort Worth, Texas; Detective, Fort Worth, Texas
Frank Dalton		1859–1887		Deputy U.S. Marshal, Fort Smith, Arkansas, Oklahoma Territory
Ben Daniels		1852–1923		US Marshal, Pima County, Arizona sheriff, superintendent of Yuma Territorial Prison
James "Jim" M. Dodson	No image available	1876–1890		Prescott, Arizona City Marshal; Arizona State Penitentiary Wall Guard (post retirement)
Ed Drew		1865–1911		Pinal County, Arizona deputy sheriff
Morgan Earp		1851–1882		Deputy Sheriff, Ford County, Kansas; Marshal, Butte, Montana; U.S. Deputy Marshal, Arizona Territory; Deputy Policeman/Marshal, Arizona Territory
Virgil Earp		1843–1906		Deputy Policeman and Assistant Marshal, Dodge City, Kansas; Deputy U.S. Marshal, Prescott, Arizona; Deputy U.S. Marshal, Tombstone, Arizona; Marshal/Chief of Police, Tombstone, Arizona; Sheriff, Colton, California; Deputy Sheriff Esmeralda County, Nevada
Warren Earp		1855–1900		U.S. Deputy Marshal, Cochise County, Arizona Territory; Special Ranger (Arizona Cattleman's Association)
Wyatt Earp		1848–1929		Constable, Lamar, Missouri; Marshal (for 1 hour), Ellsworth, Kansas; Deputy Policeman, Wichita, Kansas; Assistant Marshal, Dodge City, Kansas; Deputy Sheriff, Pima County, Arizona, Arizona Territory); Deputy Policeman and Assistant Marshal, Tombstone, Arizona, Arizona Territory; Deputy U.S. Marshal, Arizona Territory
Stringer W. Fenton	No image available	1865–1936		Marshal, Indian Territory, Oklahoma, Osage County
John King Fisher		1854–1884		acting sheriff of Uvalde County, Texas
Camillus Sidney Fly	No image available	1849–1901		Sheriff, Cochise County, Arizona Territory
Pat Garrett		1850–1908		Sheriff, Lincoln County, New Mexico; Sheriff, Doña Ana County, New Mexico; Customs Collector, El Paso, Texas; Texas Ranger Captain, Texas
Lee Hall		1849–1911		Texas Ranger
Wiley G. Haines	No image available	1860–1928		Undersheriff, County P, Oklahoma Territory; Deputy U.S. Marshal, Oklahoma Territory; Chief, Osage Indian Police
John Coffee "Captain Jack" Hays		1817–1883		Captain in the Texas Rangers; first sheriff of San Francisco (1850)
Jack Helm	No image available	1838–1873		Sheriff, DeWitt County, Texas
James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok		1837–1876		Marshal, Abilene, Kansas and Hays City, Kansas
John Henry "Doc" Holliday		1851–1887		Special Police Officer, Tombstone, Arizona Territory; Deputy U.S. Marshal Arizona Territory
John R. Hughes		1855–1947		Texas Ranger
James B. Hume		1827–1904		Marshal, Placerville, California; Undersheriff, El Dorado County, California; Sheriff, El Dorado County, California; Chief Detective, Wells, Fargo & Co.
Grant Johnson	No image available	1858–1929		Deputy U.S. Marshal, Indian Territory
John "Liver-Eating" Johnson	No image available	1824–1900		Deputy Sheriff/Town Marshal
John B. Jones		1834–1891		Texas Ranger
Jeff Kidder	No image available	1875–1908		Arizona Ranger
John M. Larn	No image available	1849–1877		outlaw and Sheriff, Shackelford County, Texas
James Franklin "Bud" Ledbetter	No image available	1852–1937		Deputy Sheriff, Johnson County, Arkansas; Deputy U.S. Marshal, Oklahoma Territory; Sheriff, Muskogee County, Oklahoma
Isaiah W. Lees	No image available	1830–1902		Detective, San Francisco, California
William Sidney "Cap" Light	No image available	1864–1893		Deputy Sheriff, Belton, Texas, Temple, Texas and Creede, Colorado
Steve "Big Steve" Long	No image available	d. 1868		outlaw and Deputy Marshal, Laramie, Wyoming Territory
Harry Love		1809–1868		Captain, California State Rangers (1853–1855)
Chris Madsen	No image available	1851–1944		U.S. Marshal, Oklahoma Territory
Bat Masterson		1853–1921		Deputy Sheriff/Sheriff Ford County, Kansas; Marshal, Trinidad, Colorado; U. S. Deputy Marshal, Dodge City, Kansas; Peace Commissioner/Deputy U.S. Marshal, Southern District of New York
Ed Masterson		1852–1878		Marshal, Dodge City, Kansas
James Masterson		1855–1895		Dodge City, Kansas, Ford County, Kansas, Ingalls, Kansas, Deputy U.S. Marshal
Andrew "Andy" Mather	No image available	1851–1929		Texas Ranger, Williamson County, Texas, Co. E, Frontier Battalion, under Captain Maltby
Mysterious Dave Mather		1851–?	1880–1885	Assistant Marshal Dodge City Kansas; Town Marshal New Kiowa Kansas
Joseph McNulty		1841–1909		Sheriff, Rooks County, Kansas
Tolbert "Tol" Fannin McKinney	No image available	1857–1938		Lt. Texas Ranger, Co. D & E.; Frontier Battalion under Captains John R. Hughes & John H Rogers; Deputy Sheriff in Uvalde, Zavala, Bandera, Brewster, and El Paso Counties, Texas
Leander H. McNelly		1844–1877		Texas Ranger
William H. "High Water Bill" Moorhead	No image available	1867–1870		First sheriff of Pembina County, Dakota Territory which also made him the first sheriff in what is now the State of North Dakota; also served as Pembina town marshal, and Pembina County deputy sheriff. Nicknamed "High Water Bill" for his predictions on how high the flooding Red River of the North would get each spring, predictions that usually included the exchange of money and property.
David Neagle	No image available	1847–1926		Deputy Sheriff, Cochise County, Arizona Territory; Marshal, Tombstone, Arizona Territory; Detective, US Marshal, San Francisco, California
Evett Dumas Nix		1861–1946		US Marshal, Fort Smith, Arkansas, Nasty Nate, Kansas
Robert Bob Olinger		1841–1881	1878–1881	Deputy Sheriff, Lincoln County, New Mexico
William Owen "Buckey" O'Neill		1860–1898		Sheriff, Yavapai County, Arizona
Commodore Perry Owens		1852–1919		Sheriff, Apache County, Arizona
Allan Pinkerton		1819–1884		Pinkerton Detective Agency Founder
Robert Pinkerton	No image available	1848–1907		Pinkerton Detective
William A. Pinkerton	No image available	1846–1923		Pinkerton Detective
Henry Plummer		1837–1864		Marshal, Nevada City, California; Sheriff Bannack, Montana
Robert Jack Price	No image available	1848–1930		Constable
Alexander Ramsey	No image available	1847–1875		Marshall, Hays City, Kansas, later, sheriff, Ellis County, Kansas, shot and captured Henry Born "Dutch Henry", shot and killed nine other outlaws in discharge of his duties
Bass Reeves		1832–1910		Deputy U.S. Marshal, Indian Territory
Porter Rockwell		1813–1878		Utah Territory
George Scarborough	No image available	1859–1903		El Paso, Texas Sheriff, killed John Selman
John Selman		1839–1896		El Paso, Texas Constable, killed John Wesley Hardin
Charles A. Shibell		1841–1908	1875–1880; 1888	Sheriff Pima County Arizona
Charles Sims	No image available	1879–1945		Town Marshal Rosedale, Oklahoma
Charlie Siringo		1855–1928		Pinkerton detective
Sam Sixkiller	No image available	1842–1886		Captain, U.S. Indian Police, Indian Territory; Deputy U.S. Marshal, Indian Territory
John Slaughter		1841–1922		Sheriff and Texas Ranger, Cochise County, Arizona, Arizona Territory
Lot Smith		1830–1892		Sheriff Davis County, Utah; in March 1853, Farmington, then known as Little Cottonwood, was approved by Utah Territorial Legislature as the County seat of Davis County; a year later, Lot Smith, who also served in Mormon Battalion at age 16, was appointed county's first sheriff
Thomas Smith		1830–1870		Marshal and Deputy U.S. Marshal, Kit Carson, Colorado and Abilene, Kansas
Con Stapleton	No image available	1848–1879		Marshal, Deadwood, South Dakota
Dallas Stoudenmire		1845–1882		El Paso, Texas Marshal and Texas Ranger; Deputy U.S. Marshal
Michael Sughrue	No image available	1844–1901		Sheriff, Clark County, Kansas; Marshal Ashland, Kansas; Deputy Sheriff, Ford County, Kansas; Deputy Marshal, Dodge City, Kansas
Henry Andrew "Heck" Thomas		1850–1912		Deputy U.S. Marshal, Oklahoma Territory
Ben Thompson		1842–1884		Marshal, Austin, Texas
Bill Tilghman		1854–1924		Deputy Marshal, Dodge City, Kansas; Deputy U.S. Marshal, Oklahoma Territory; Sheriff, Lincoln County, Oklahoma; Chief of Police, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
James Timberlake		1846–1891		Deputy Marshal, Liberty, Missouri; County Sheriff, Clay County, Missouri; Constable, Liberty, Missouri
Paden Tolbert		1863–1904		Deputy U.S. Marshal, Indian Territory
Max Ventura	No image available	1866–		U.S. Marshal, Indian Affairs Delegate, North Dakota Territory
John Joshua Webb	No image available	1847–1882		Deputy Marshal, Dodge City, Kansas; Marshal, Las Vegas, New Mexico
Franklin Pierce West	No image available	1852–1886		Indian Territory Deputy Marshal
William Fletcher Wheeler	No image available	1824–1894		Montana Territory U.S. Marshal 1869–1878, Lt Col, 1st MN Vol Inf, 1858–61, Capt, Co F, 4th MN Inf, 1861–64 (WIA at Vicksburg, Mississippi), 3rd U.S. Marshal in the Montana Territory, 1869–78; founder of Montana Historical Society
Fred White		1849–1880		Marshal Tombstone, Arizona Territory; died in the line of duty
Robert Widdowfield		1846–1878		Wyoming Deputy sheriff, first Wyoming officer to be killed in the line of duty
Robert Widenmann	No image available	1852–1930		Deputy U.S. Marshal New Mexico Territory
Charlie Wilson	No image available	1860–1889		City Marshal, Oceanside, California 1888–1889
Jefferson "Keno" Wilson	No image available	1862–1934

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References

↑ August 12, 1882, reported in The New Southwest and Grant County Herald

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[1] August 12, 1882, reported in The New Southwest and Grant County Herald

[1]

v t e Gunfights and feuds in the Old West
Gunfights	Gunfight at Hide Park Goingsnake massacre Battle of Bates Point Gunfight at Blazer's Mill Battle of Lincoln (1878) Variety Hall shootout Mussel Slough Tragedy Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight Guadalupe Canyon Massacre Battle of the Plaza Gunfight at the O.K. Corral Trinidad Gunfight Vaudeville Theater ambush Hunnewell gunfight Frisco shootout Battle of Cimarron Battle of Stone Corral Battle of Tres Jacales Battle of Ingalls Gunfight at Morenci Blackwell gunfight Shootout on Juneau Wharf Hot Springs gunfight Shootout at Wilson Ranch Gunfight in Moab Battleground Gunfight Chinese Massacre Cove Big Fight at the Jenkins Saloon Thibodaux massacre Gunfight at Spokogee Canyon Diablo shootout Shootout in Benson Naco Gunfight Battle of Eufaula Shootout in Sonoratown Gleeson gunfight Power's Cabin shootout Skeleton Canyon shootout
Duels and showdowns	Broderick–Terry duel Sandbar Fight Hickok–Tutt Shootout Duels of Jim Levy Duels of Tom Carberry Short–Courtright Shootout Bull–Peel duel Mart Duggan duel Anderson-McCluskie duel Canton–Dunn Shootout Long Branch Saloon gunfight South Pass Shootout Walker–Graham duel Burton Mossman duel Silks–Fultom duel Higgins–Standifer duel Western Code Duello
Feuds	Railroad Wars County seat war Tutt–Everett War Regulator–Moderator War Lincoln County War Lee–Peacock feud Sutton–Taylor feud Horrell–Higgins feud Brooks–Baxter War Colorado Railroad War Earp Vendetta Ride Dodge City War Flynn–Doran feud Gray County War Jaybird–Woodpecker War Enid–Pond Creek Railroad War Brooks–McFarland feud Reese–Townsend feud McIntosh County Seat War Deschutes Railroad War Boyce–Sneed feud Placer County Railroad War Bellevue War Colorado Labor Wars Idaho labor strike
Range wars	Johnson County War Mason County War Pleasant Valley War Castaic Range War Colorado Range War Colfax County War San Elizario Salt War Pecos War Porum Range War Fence Cutting Wars Sheep Wars Sheepshooters' War Stuart's Stranglers Hashknife Outfit Deep Creek murders Spring Creek raid
Robberies	Jonathan R. Davis Gunfight Northfield Bank Robbery Skeleton Canyon massacres Battle of Coffeyville Canyon Diablo Train Robbery Wham Paymaster robbery Black Bart Robberies Fairbank Train Robbery Gage Train Robbery Big Springs Robbery Overland Flyer Train Robbery Baxter's Curve Train Robbery Jarbidge Stage Robbery
See also	Gunfighter Cowboy Lexington murders Bisbee massacre Hay Meadow massacre Rock Springs massacre Morewood massacre
Further information: List of Old West gunfights, List of Old West gunfighters, and List of Old West lawmen

List of Old West lawmen

Contents

See also

Related Research Articles

References

External links