19. Wyatt Earp lost his job as a deputy sheriff
In November 1880, Wyatt’s boss lost his bid for re-election, and with his ouster, Wyatt lost his appointment as deputy and the lucrative tax collection fees which came with it. There was (and there remains to this day) considerable debate whether the election had been stolen by the Cowboys, who ran the polls in some critical precincts. Earp was replaced as a deputy sheriff by Johnny Behan, a politician and sometime compatriot of several of the Cowboys, including the McLaury’s, the Clantons, and Curly Bill Brocius. Part of Pima County spun off, creating Cochise County, and Wyatt and Behan both placed themselves in line for the new position, which promised income similar to that of Pima County. Behan won.
