John Clum

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John Philip Clum (September 1, 1851 - May 2, 1932) was an Indian agent in the Arizona Territory who had the nickname "White Chief of the Apaches". Clum was also the first mayor of Tombstone, Arizona, USA, and founder of the Tombstone Epitaph.

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[edit] Early life

Clum was born on a farm near Claverack, New York, USA. His parents were William Henry and Elizabeth van Duessen Clum; he had five brothers and three sisters.

At age 18, he enrolled in Rutgers College. He was a member of Rutgers' first football team and played in the game between Rutgers and the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) that marked the first intercollegiate football game in the United States.

[edit] Indian Agent

In 1873 Clum was offered the position of Indian agent at the San Carlos Indian Reservation in the Arizona Territory. The San Carlos reservation was in the heart of Apache country, and ranchers and prospectors were plagued by marauding bands of Indians. During Clum's tenure at San Carlos, he treated the Apaches as friends, employed them as police and established Apache courts with Apache judges to mete out punishment, and encouraged them to take up the peaceful pursuits of farming and raising cattle. In 1877 the Department of the Interior and the War Department returned U.S. troops to San Carlos to supervise the Apaches, and Clum resigned in protest. Clum convinced Geronimo to surrender in 1877, but Geronimo was later freed and did not surrender again until September 4, 1886.[1]

[edit] Journalist

Clum and his wife moved to Tucson, Arizona, and bought a weekly newspaper, the Tucson Citizen. Clum transformed the Citizen into a daily newspaper. For more than two years he published editorials criticizing "the Army of Arizona and the political double-crossers in Washington".

Following the great silver strike in Tombstone, Arizona, in 1877, Clum had a used printing press shipped from San Diego to Tombstone and began publication of the Tombstone Epitaph. He helped organize a Law and Order League to end lawlessness in Tombstone, and his association with that group helped get him elected as Tombstone's first mayor. Here he became lifelong friends with Wyatt Earp, and would become one of his greatest supporters. Because of this friendship, he was almost assassinated while he was on a stage to Benson, after the Gunfight at the OK Corral.

Some influential parties in Tombstone were at odds with the goals of the Law and Order League, however, and convinced Clum's partners in the Epitaph to sell the newspaper. The sale prompted Clum to step down as publisher and editor of the Epitaph.

[edit] Later Years and Death

In 1898, Clum was appointed Postal Inspector for the Alaska Territory. During a five-month period he traversed 8,000 miles in the Alaskan territory, equipping existing post offices and establishing seven new post offices.

Clum was later named postmaster for Fairbanks, Alaska, and served in that position until 1909.

After his tenure as the Fairbanks postmaster, Clum left Alaska for California and bought a citrus ranch in San Dimas. In 1928 he moved to Los Angeles, where he lived until his death, in 1931 at age 80.

In Los Angeles, Clum was frequently consulted by motion picture producers in regard to portrayal of Native Americans in western movies.

[edit] Portrayals in Film

In 1956, Audie Murphy played Clum in the movie Walk the Proud Land.

In 1993, Terry O'Quinn played Clum in the movie Tombstone.

In 1994, Randal Mell played Clum in the movie Wyatt Earp

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Glauthier, Martha. SAN DIMAS REMEMBERED - JOHN P. CLUM, INDIAN AGENT. San Dimas Historical Society. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.

[edit] References