Doc Holliday
| Doc Holliday | |
|---|---|
John Holliday, age 20
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| Born |
John Henry Holliday August 14, 1851 Griffin, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | November 8, 1887 (aged 36) Glenwood Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Tuberculosis |
| Resting place | Pioneer Cemetery (aka Linwood Cemetery), Glenwood Springs, Colorado, U.S. 39°32′21.988″N 107°19′9.02″W / 39.53944111°N 107.3191722°W |
| Education | Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery |
| Occupation | Dentist, professional gambler, gunfighter |
| Known for |
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral Earp Vendetta Ride |
| Spouse(s) | Big Nose Kate (m. 1877–82) (common-law wife) |
| Parent(s) |
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John Henry "Doc" Holliday (August 14, 1851 – November 8, 1887) was an American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist, and a good friend of Wyatt Earp. He is most well known for his role as a temporary deputy marshal in the events leading up to and following the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
At age 21, Holliday earned a degree in dentistry from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery. He set up practice in Atlanta, Georgia, but he was soon diagnosed with tuberculosis, the same disease that had claimed his mother when he was 15. Hoping the climate in the American Southwest would ease his symptoms, he moved to that region and became a gambler, a reputable profession in Arizona in that day. Over the next few years, he reportedly had several confrontations that were inflated after his death to establish his reputation as a gunman. While in Texas, he saved Wyatt Earp's life and they became friends. In 1880, he joined Earp in Las Vegas, New Mexico and then rode with him to Prescott, Arizona, and then Tombstone. In Tombstone, local outlaw cowboys repeatedly threatened him and spread rumors that he had robbed a stage. On October 26, 1881, Holliday was deputized by Tombstone city marshal Virgil Earp. The lawmen attempted to disarm five cowboys, which turned into the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
Following the Tombstone shootout, Virgil Earp was maimed by hidden assailants and Morgan Earp was murdered. Unable to obtain justice in the courts, Wyatt Earp took matters into his own hands. As the recently appointed Deputy U.S. Marshal, Earp formally deputized Holliday and others and as a federal posse, they pursued the outlaw cowboys they believed were responsible. They found Frank Stilwell lying in wait as Virgil boarded a train for California and killed him. The local sheriff issued a warrant for the arrest of five members of the posse, including Holliday. The posse killed three others during late March and early April, 1882, before they rode to New Mexico. Wyatt Earp learned of an extradition request for Holliday and arranged for Colorado Governor Frederick Walker Pitkin to deny Holliday's extradition. Holliday spent the remaining few years of life in Colorado and died in his bed at the Glenwood Springs Hotel of tuberculosis at age 36.
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Wikipedia