John Horton Slaughter
War Hero
Remembered for his service during the Civil War in the Army of the Confederate States of America, this sheriff and United States Marshal also served as a law enforcement officer with the Texas Rangers.
He was born in Louisiana to Minerva Mabry and Benjamin Slaughter. He later lived in California and Arizona; in the former state, he was a well-known poker player.
In the 1870s, he began working in the cattle ranching business. His Arizona home, San Bernardino Ranch, became a historic site in the years following his death.
His first marriage, to Eliza Adeline Harris, produced two surviving children. He later married a young woman named Viola Howell, with whom he adopted a daughter named Apache May.
He was a contemporary of Ben Thompson, a fellow lawman, gunfighter, and Confederate Army soldier.