- John Clum
John Philip Clum (
September 1 1851 -May 2 1932 ) was anIndian agent in theArizona Territory who had the nickname "White Chief of the Apaches". Clum was also the first mayor ofTombstone, Arizona ,USA , and founder of theTombstone Epitaph .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 (nowPrinceton University ) that marked the first intercollegiate football game in the United States.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 ofApache 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 convincedGeronimo to surrender in 1877, but Geronimo was later freed and did not surrender again untilSeptember 4 1886 .cite web |last=Glauthier |first=Martha|url=http://www.sandimasnews.com/history/30.html |title=SAN DIMAS REMEMBERED - JOHN P. CLUM, INDIAN AGENT |publisher=San Dimas Historical Society |accessdate=2008-02-02]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 withWyatt 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 theGunfight 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".
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.
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 "Notes
References
* [http://ananews.inetium.com/Foundation/Hall/HOF1950Clum.htm "John P. Clum, Tombstone Epitaph" - 1950 Arizona Newspapers Association Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.sandimasnews.com/history/30.html "John P. Clum, Indian Agent" by Martha Glauthier, San Dimas Historical Society]
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