James R. Barton (1810?– January 23, 1857) was the second

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

, and the first to die in office, in the line of duty.

Biography

Early life

James R. Barton was born in 1810 in Howard County, Missouri. He emigrated to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in 1841 and moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1843. He served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

of 1846–1848.

Career

A carpenter, he was the first treasurer of Masonic Lodge 42 in Los Angeles.Larry Goldberg, "James R. Barton Frontier Sheriff of Los Angeles County," ''Suite101.com'', April 18, 2010. He was elected to four one-year terms as the Sheriff of Los Angeles County from September 1851 to October 1855. He was elected again in 1856.

Death

Barton and three of his deputies were killed near present-day

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...

in a shootout with bandits led by Juan Flores and

Pancho Daniel Pancho Daniel (?–1858) was a Californio bandit, leader of the Flores Daniel Gang who was lynched in November 1858 while awaiting trial for his involvement in the murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff James R. Barton. Biography Together with J ...

on January 23, 1857. The site of the shooting is marked by California State Historical Landmark No. 218, Barton Mound, with this inscription:

Juan Flores, who had escaped from San Quentin, was being sought by James Barton with a posse of five men. Near this mound, Flores surprised Barton and three of his men; all four were killed. When Los Angeles learned of the slaughter, posses were formed, and Flores and his men were captured.

While the

Flores Daniel Gang Flores Daniel Gang, was an outlaw gang also known as ''"las Manillas"'' (the Handcuffs), throughout Southern California during 1856-1857. Californio's Juan Flores and Pancho Daniel. Contemporary newspaper accounts of ''las Manillas'' all repo ...

was being pursued, the bodies of the Sheriff and his posse were recovered by a special party sent out on horseback, escorting several wagons filled with coffins for the purpose and the bodies returned to the city. Harris Newmark described the reception of the bodies and the funeral:

... when the remains were received in Los Angeles on Sunday about noon, the city at once went into mourning. All business was suspended, and the impressive burial ceremonies, conducted on Monday, were attended by the citizens en masse. Oddly enough, there was not a Protestant clergyman in town at the time; but the Masonic Order took the matter in hand and performed their rites over those who were Masons, and even paid their respects, with a portion of the ritual, to the non-Masonic dead.

The Flores Daniel Gang was hunted down and 52 gang members were arrested and 18 gang members were hung for the murder of the four Lawman. Juan Flores and the gang had taken refuge on the

Flores Peak Flores Peak is a mountain peak, overlooking the confluence Harding Canyon and Modjeska Canyon, within the Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary in Orange County, California. It rises to an elevation of . It is named for Juan Flores of the Flores Daniel Ga ...

after killing James R. Barton and three of his Posse. Flores made a daring escape from encirclement by a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

posse led by General

Andrés Pico Andrés Pico (November 18, 1810 – February 14, 1876) was a Californio who became a successful rancher, fought in the contested Battle of San Pascual during the Mexican–American War, and negotiated promises of post-war protections for Calif ...

. As part of the posse led by

Tomas Avila Sanchez Tomas Avila Sanchez (1826–1882), soldier, sheriff and public official, was on the Los Angeles County, California, Board of Supervisors and was a member of the Los Angeles Common Council, the legislative branch of the city. Personal Sanchez ...

and Bethel Coopwood stormed up the mountain under fire, Flores rode his horse down the steep slope of the peak along with a two others of the gang, while three of the gang were captured there. Flores and another gang member were captured the next day by an El Monte posse led by

Frank Gentry Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curre ...

, but escaped again that night. However Flores was later captured in Simi Pass by a detachment of a company of Los Angeles men led by James Thompson, and U. S. soldiers from Fort Tejon.,James R. Barton Frontier Sheriff of Los Angeles County\
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton, James R. 1810 births 1856 deaths People from Howard County, Missouri People from Los Angeles American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Los Angeles County, California sheriffs American carpenters

Biography

Early life

Career

Death

Further reading

See also

References