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Frank Hamer, Legendary Texas Lawman Who Bagged Bonnie and Clyde

Khalid Elhassan December 27, 2024 12 min

Hamer - Frank Hamer — Frank Hamer. Free Range America

14. From Chasing Cattle Rustlers on Horseback to Tracking Down Criminals With Airplanes and Radios

A posse that brought outlaw Ned Christie to justice. True West Magazine

When Frank Hamer first joined Texas law enforcement in 1905, lawmen still chased cattle rustlers, bandits, and other outlaws across the West on horseback. Policing was minimal and often ad hoc, and sheriffs routinely rounded up posses when extra bodies were needed. By the time Hamer retired in 1949, lawmen were part of an established bureaucracy of law enforcement. They now went from thither to yon by automobiles, used airplanes, and communicated via radios and wireless devices. Hamer’s career thus witnessed the transformation of law enforcement from that of legendary Old West lawmen, to the era of modern policing.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.