Frank Wolcott (1840–1910) was an officer in the Union Army, a law man and a rancher.

Biography

Early life

Wolcott was born December 13, 1840 in

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora) is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex ...

. He served in the Union Army in the Civil War, and was promoted to the rank of major before being discharged in 1866. He then attempted to work for the U.S. Land Office in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, but left for

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

only a few years later for a position as a

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

Johnson County War

In Wyoming, Wolcott purchased a ranch near Deer Creek and joined the

Wyoming Stock Growers Association The Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) is an American cattle organization started in 1872 among Wyoming cattle ranchers to standardize and organize the cattle industry but quickly grew into a political force that has been called "the de facto ...

. Working for the WSGA he became involved in the

Johnson County War The Johnson County War, also known as the War on Powder River and the Wyoming Range War, was a range conflict that took place in Johnson County, Wyoming from 1889 to 1893. The conflict began when cattle companies started ruthlessly persecuting ...

. Leading a small band of Regulators that terrorized and killed small ranchers who were obstructing the WSGA's goal of greater consolidation and an end to free ranging. These ranchers were accused of cattle rustling. The book ''History of Wyoming'' by T. A. Larson credits this plan directly to Wolcott, other sources disagree and trace the "lynching bee" to WSGA board members. After the murder of Nate Champion the Sheriff of Johnson County hunted down the Regulators at The TA Ranch Ranch near Crazy Woman Creek. The

Governor of Wyoming A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

requested the assistance of federal troops from President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...

. So with the aid of the 6th Cavalry they were forced to surrender, and were brought in to Fort McKinney. But due to the influence of the WSGA both Wolcott and his Regulators were set free without charge.

Later life

Wolcott became a Justice of the Peace March 39, 1890, with a reputation for harsh sentencing. Four years later he became an agent for the Omaha Stockyards. He died in 1910 in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

External links

short lawman bio

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolcott 1840 births 1910 deaths Cowboys Union Army officers United States Marshals American justices of the peace American cattlemen People from Canandaigua, New York People from Johnson County, Wyoming People of the American Old West 19th-century American judges