John Behan
John Harris Behan
(October 23, 1844 – June 7, 1912) was, for 21 months of a
two-year term (February 1881 to November 1882), the sheriff of
Cochise County in the Arizona Territory.
What do you know about
Johnny Behan? Try this
US Old West History Made Easy Quiz.
"Check Your Answers" at the end of the page.
 1)
Behan is born in what is now Kansas City, Missouri, the third of
nine children of a carpenter named Peter Behan and his wife
Sarah.
2) Behan comes
to the Arizona Territory from in 1863, arriving first in
Prescott, the territorial seat. Where does he come from?
- New York City
- Chicago
- Dodge City
- San Francisco
3) In 1869 he
marries Victoria Zaff of California. The couple have two
children; a daughter (dies in childhood) and a son named Albert
Price, born July 7, 1872. Behan and his wife divorce in 1875 and
in 1881 he marries Josephine Marcus.
True or False?
4) Behan moves
to Tombstone in September 1880, perhaps with knowledge that the
area was about to be split off from Pima County as Cochise
County, with Tombstone as the county seat. Behan works for a
short time as bartender in a local hotel (a favorite of the
cow-boys). What is the name of the hotel?
- Longbranch Hotel
- Carlton Hotel
- Best Western Hotel
- Grand Hotel
5) Who picks
Johnny Behan to serve as Tombstone area undersheriff while it
was part of Pima County.
- Pima sheriff Charles Shibell
- Pima sheriff John Ringo
- Pima sheriff Morgan Earp
- Pima sheriff Russell Morgan
6) Tombstone is
split off into the new Cochise County in early 1881,
undersheriff Behan is appointed first Sheriff of Cochise County,
and confirmed by the upper house of the Territorial Legislature,
on February 10, 1881. Who appoints Behan as Cochise County
Sheriff?
- Governor Ward Bond
- Governor Howard Arnold
- Governor John C. Fremont
- Governor Clyde Ware
7) Popular
understanding of the times portrays Behan, a county lawman, as a
friend of Ike Clanton, William B. Brocious, Johnny Ringo, and a
group of Mexican cattle importers, dealers, rustlers and
fencers. What are they known colloquially as?
- Marshalls
- Drovers
- Cowboys
- Public enemies
8) Behan is a
witness to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. When is the
gunfight?
- September 26, 1881
- October 26, 1881
- November 26, 1881
- December 26, 1881
9) What is the
penitentiary that Behan served as the Deputy Superintendent
(deputy warden)?
- Florence Penitentiary
- Yuma Penitentiary
- Papago Penitentiary
- Black Canyon Penitentiary
10) Behan dies
at St. Mary's Catholic Hospital in Tucson, Arizona on June 7,
1912. While some sources state that Behan dies of Bright's
disease (immune-related renal failure), his death certificate
states Behan died primarily of arterial sclerosis. The secondary
cause listed on the same death certificate states Behan also has
syphilis, which he has contracted thirty years earlier (during
his time in Tombstone).
11) Where is
Behan buried?
- Holy Hope Cemetery & Mausoleum,
Tucson, AZ
- Pima County Cemetery, Tucson, AZ
- Bisbee Cemetery, Bisbee, AZ
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