John Clum
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John Philip Clum (September 1, 1851 - May 2, 1932) was an Indian agent for the San Carlos Apache reservation in the Arizona Territory who was given a nickname by his Apache charges, "Nantan Betunnikiyeh" meaning “Boss With The High Forehead”. Clum went bald at an early age thus the sobriquet. Contrary to popular belief, Clum was not the first mayor of Tombstone, Arizona, USA, being preceded by William Harwood and Alder Randall. However, Clum was the first Mayor under the new city charter of 1881. He also founded the still-operating Tombstone Epitaph on May 1, 1880.
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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 Deusen Clum; he had five brothers and three sisters. He attended the Hudson River Institute in Claverack and in September, 1870, enrolled at Rutgers College. He was a member of Rutgers' football team. Contrary to popular belief, Clum did not play on the first intercollegiate game between Rutgers and Princeton that was played on November 6, 1869 but rather played on the second game in the fall of 1870. Being too ill to earn money during the summer for his second year of college, Clum instead entered the US Army Signal Corps on September 14, 1871, and became a weather observer in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
[edit] Indian Agent
Clum accepted a commission as Indian Agent for the San Carlos Apache reservation at Arizona Territory on February 26, 1874. He arrived at the San Carlos reservation on Tuesday, August 4, 1874. He inherited a legacy of violence and mayhem where the Indians had been abused by self-serving Indian Agents who took their position only to line their own pockets at the expense of the Indians, and a military presence which showed both animosity toward the Indians and disdain for the civilian Indian Agents. During Clum's tenure at San Carlos, he treated the Apaches as friends, established an Indian Police department and a system of Indian self-rule. He encouraged them to take up the peaceful pursuits of farming and raising cattle. Clum tired of the Army’s constant meddling in the affairs of the reservation, and the lack of support from the Indian Bureau, the very people who a short time prior had sought him out specifically as a man who would make a good Agent. In April 21, 1877 Clum along with 100 of his best Apache Police captured the marauding Geronimo at the Ojo Caliente reservation in New Mexico. It would be the only time Geronimo was ever captured at gunpoint and was done so without a shot being fired on either side. Geronimo would be freed and not recaptured again until September 4, 1886. Dogged by an uncaring Indian Bureau and constant harassment by the Army, and out of utter frustration, Clum left his post as Indian Agent at noon on July 1, 1877
[edit] Journalist
Clum and his wife moved to Florence, A.T. and bought a weekly newspaper, the Arizona Citizen then operating in Tucson but moving it to Florence. Eventually he moved the paper back to Tucson. 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 moved to Tombstone and began publication, on Saturday, May 1, 1880 of the Tombstone Epitaph. He helped organize a “Vigilance Committee” to end lawlessness in Tombstone, and his association with that group helped get him elected as Tombstone's first mayor under the new city charter of 1881. 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. After the Ok Corral gunfight, the political tables turned and the Earps, and everyone associated with them (including Clum) were labeled as miscreants, responsible for much unwanted violence and mayhem that scared-away much-needed eastern capital. Clum and the Earps were finished in Tombstone both politically and pragmatically. Clum sold his Tombstone Epitaph and moved on. The Epitaph continues today as a nationally distributed chronicle of the old west.
[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. While in Nome in the summer of 1900, Clum met his old friends, Wyatt Earp and George Parsons. Wyatt was operating the Dexter Saloon at the time. Clum was later named postmaster for Fairbanks, Alaska, and served in that position until 1909. After his tenure as the Fairbanks postmaster, Clum spent several years working for the Southern Pacific Railroad, giving hundreds of lectures all over the country to promote tourism and passenger-use of the railroad. In 1928 he moved to Los Angeles, where he lived until his death, in 1932 at age 80. He was survived by his third wife, Florence, son Woodworth, and daughter Caro Kingsland Clum Vachon. Family members still reside in the Los Angeles area as well as in Carmel and Rancho Mirage, California.
[edit] Portrayals in Film
In 1934, Russell Simpson played the Clum-esque part of “Editor Pickett” in Frontier Marshal, the first of two movies of the same name based on Stuart Lake’s Wyatt Earp bio.
In 1939, Harry Hayden played the part of “Mayor” in the classic “Frontier Marshal” based on author Stuart Lake’s book on Wyatt Earp.
In 1942, Tombstone, the Town Too Tough to Die premiered. In a bizarre twist, Clum had a “split personality” in this movie with actor Charles Halton playing “Mayor Dan Crane” and actor Emmett Vogan playing the part of “Editor John Clum.”
In 1946, Roy Roberts played the part of “Mayor” in My Darling Clementine, although the word “Clum” was never spoken it was assumed.
In 1956, Audie Murphy played Clum in the movie Walk the Proud Land based on the 1936 Apache Agent biography by Woodworth Clum.
In 1957 Whit Bissell played Clum in Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957 film).
In 1967, Larry Gates played Clum in Hour of the Gun.
In 1971 Dan Greenberg played Clum in the Holliday bio, “Doc”
In 1993, Terry O'Quinn played Clum in the movie Tombstone (film).
In 1994, Randal Mell played Clum in the movie Wyatt Earp
In the 1960-1961 season, actor Stacy Harris played the part of Clum in the ever-popular TV series, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp starring actor Hugh O’Brien in the lead role.
[edit] Notes
1. ^ Glauthier, Martha. "SAN DIMAS REMEMBERED - JOHN P. CLUM, INDIAN AGENT". San Dimas Historical Society. http://www.sandimasnews.com/history/30.html. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
2. See Gary Ledoux, Clum biographer at www.yesterwest.com or www.johnpclum.com
[edit] References
• John P. Clum, Tombstone Epitaph - 1950 Arizona Newspapers Association Hall of Fame
• John P. Clum, Indian Agent by Martha Glauthier, San Dimas Historical Society
• Walk the Proud Land (1956) at the Internet Movie Database
• Nantan: The Life and Times of John P. Clum Volume 1 Claverack to Tombstone copyright 2007 by Gary Ledoux / Trafford Publishing Go to www.yesterwest.com
• Nantan: The Life and Times of John P. Clum Volume 2 Tombstone to Los Angeles copyright 2008 by Gary Ledoux / Trafford Publishing Go to www.yesterwest.com
