Share

Bat Masterson biography

1 photo

Quick Facts

  • PLACE OF DEATH: New York, New York
  • Originally: Bartholomew Masterson
more about Bat

Best Known For

Gambler, lawman, saloon keeper and sports writer Bat Masterson was a good buddy of Wyatt Earp in Dodge City and Tombstone.

Synopsis

Bat Masterson began working as a buffalo hunter and army scout in 1873. Over the next decade, he was a lawman as well as a saloon keeper and gambler. During this time, he befriended legendary lawman Wyatt Earp in both Dodge City, Kansas and Tombstone, Arizona. Masterson spent the later years of his life in New York City as a sports and features writer for various publications.

Contents

Profile

Gambler, lawman, saloonkeeper, journalist. Born November 24, 1853 (some sources say 1854), in Henryville, Quebec, Canada. Also known as William Barclay Masterson. Though he was born in Canada, Masterson grew up on a series of family farms in New York, Illinois, and Kansas. In 1873, he left home and began working as a buffalo hunter and Indian scout in Dodge City, Kansas. Over the next decade, he worked intermittently as the Ford County sheriff (from 1877-79) and a deputy U.S. marshal (1879) but made his living mostly as a saloonkeeper and gambler. His brothers, Ed and James Masterson, were also Dodge City lawmen. Bat Masterson was a good friend and associate of the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp in both Dodge City and Tombstone, Arizona.

Masterson spent the later years of his life in New York City. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him deputy U.S. marshal for the southern district of New York, a position he held until 1907. Masterson's enthusiasm for boxing and other sports led him to become a feature writer for Human Life Magazine, a sportswriter, and eventually the sports editor of the New York Morning Telegraph. He died in 1921, of a heart attack.

© 2012 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

ADVERTISEMENT
9542043 9542043
profile id: 9542043
profile name: Bat Masterson
profile occupation:
related profile id: 9542043
related profile name: Bat Masterson
related profile occupation:
related profile img: /imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/M/Bat-Masterson-9542043-1-402.jpg
related profile URL: /people/bat-masterson-9542043
profile
pop
Your Connections

Sign in with Facebook to see how you and your friends are connected to famous icons.

specific profile connection
See More Bio Connections
Your Friends' Connections
specific friend connection
Profile Connections
    Show More Connections
    Included In These Groups

    See all related groups

    Celebrity Connections

    Show More Connections
    Fact Check: We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!