Jeff Kidder (November 15, 1875 – April 5, 1908) was an American lawman in the closing days of the American Old West. He was most noted for his service with the

Arizona Rangers The Arizona Rangers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, noncommissioned civilian auxiliary that supports law enforcement in the US, state of Arizona. In 2002, the modern-day Arizona Rangers were officially recognized by the State of Arizona when the Le ...

Early life

Jefferson David Kidder was born in

Vermillion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It is v ...

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

. His father, Silas W. Kidder (1847–1920), who was from a prominent

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

family, had settled in South Dakota during 1868. His grandfather, Jefferson P. Kidder, had served as the

Lieutenant Governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the governor. The Vermont Lieutenant Governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state or incapacitated, presi ...

and later served on the

South Dakota Supreme Court The South Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court in the state of South Dakota. It is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices appointed by the governor. One justice is selected from each of five geographic appointment districts ...

and in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. His uncle, Lyman S. Kidder (1842–1867), became an officer in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (United States) and served under

George Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, ...

. He and his detachment were killed in July 1867, in an event that became known as the Kidder Massacre.

Life in the west

Jeff Kidder attended the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is the flagship uni ...

where he studied

algebra Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics. Elementary ...

, language and composition. In 1901, Jeff Kidder's family moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. That same year, the

were formed, and Kidder ventured southwest to join them. He took several jobs in between, including working as a cowboy, miner, and lawman in Nogales, Arizona until he was hired by the Rangers in 1903. Kidder quickly became known within the Rangers as a marksman, second only to Captain Harry C. Wheeler. Arizona Ranger Captain Tom Rynning would later claim that he never saw any man faster with a gun on a quick draw. In June 1903, Kidder and other Rangers went to Morenci to quell the mine strikes and riots. Kidder later began working to control cattle rustling along the United States/

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 ...

border near Nogales, He often worked alone, but sometimes was joined by Rangers Fred Rankin, Billy Old, and Bill Sparks. Kidder, Rankin, Sparks and Old had all received commissions from Mexican General Luis Emeterio Torres (1844–1935), Governor of Sonora, authorizing them to enter into Mexico if need be in pursuit of outlaws. In early 1904, Kidder and Rankin intercepted gunrunners near the border, which resulted in a gun battle. Kidder shot and killed one of the outlaws, with Rankin shooting the horse out from under another. The Rangers confiscated several weapons and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Kidder had numerous other clashes with gunrunners on the border, leading to intelligence reports that he was to be targeted by outlaws in the gunrunning business. In the fall of 1907, Kidder and a

Benson, Arizona Benson is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, east-southeast of Tucson. It was founded as a rail terminal for the area, and still serves as such. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 5,105. History The city was ...

Constable fought and captured one bandit and dispersed several others who were smuggling arms and

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...

. By this time, Kidder had a sizable reputation on the border and was promoted to sergeant in early 1908.

Gunfight and death

On April 3, 1908, Kidder pursued gunrunners into

Naco, Sonora Naco is a Mexican town in Naco Municipality located in the northeast part of Sonora state on the border with the United States. It is directly across from the unincorporated town of Naco, Arizona. The name Naco comes from the Opata language and ...

and located suspects in a cantina. A gunfight erupted with Delores Quias and Tomas Amador, both of whom were local policemen, resulting in Kidder being wounded together with both Mexican policemen. The shooting brought two other policemen who fired at Kidder, hitting him through the stomach. Kidder was badly wounded, the bullet having passed through his intestines and exiting his back. Kidder, alone and outnumbered, returned fire on the two officers. He next attempted unsuccessfully to make it back across the border. Kidder walked into the night attempting to reach the border several hundred yards away. Several Mexican policemen and civilians stood between him and the border at this point and began firing. Kidder continued to return fire until his ammunition was expended, at which point he surrendered. Naco Police Chief Victoriano Amador, who had been wounded by Kidder, jumped on him together with several of his policemen. Reportedly the police beat Kidder as they dragged him about fifty yards toward the local jail where he was hit on the head with a pistol, resulting in a skull fracture. Kidder was held in jail that night without medical attention. The following day, American officials led by Ranger Captain Wheeler persuaded local officials to release Kidder into a private residence for medical care. Dr. Francis Eppes Shine arrived from

Bisbee, Arizona Bisbee is a city in and the county seat of Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, United States. It is southeast of Tucson and north of the Mexican border. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 4,923, down from 5,575 ...

to attend him. However, by that point there was little hope that Kidder could survive although he was able to speak and to relay his own version of the events. Deputy US Marshal John Foster entered into Naco and visited Kidder during this time, along with several others having authority to do so. Kidder died on April 5, 1908. At first, local authorities refused to allow Kidder's body to be removed to American soil. To prevent an international incident, General Torres intervened and ordered Kidder's body returned to the Americans. His body was sent to his mother in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, where he was buried.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kidder, Jefferson David 1875 births 1908 deaths Arizona Rangers Cowboys Gunslingers of the American Old West People from Vermillion, South Dakota People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Mexico

Early life

Life in the west

Gunfight and death

References

Related reading

External links