Wyatt Earp

Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American gambler and law enforcement officer who, while deputy town marshal in Tombstone, Arizona, took part in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which lawmen killed three outlaw Cowboys. He is often regarded as the central figure in the shootout in Tombstone, although his brother Virgil Earp was Tombstone city marshal and Deputy U.S. Marshal that day (October 26, 1881), and had far more experience as a sheriff, constable, marshal, and soldier in combat.

Earp lived a restless life. He was at different times in his life a constable, city policeman, county sheriff, Deputy U.S. Marshal, teamster, buffalo hunter, bouncer, saloon-keeper, gambler, brothel owner, pimp, miner, and boxing referee. Partly due to an exaggerated biography published in 1934, Wyatt Earp's image has become the prototype of the Western lawman, symbol of American frontier justice.