John Harris "Johnny" Behan (24 October 1844 – 7 June 1912) was Sheriff of Yavapai County from Jannuary 1871 to December 1873, a member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature from 6 January 1873 to 4 January 1875, and Sheriff of Cochise County from February 1881 to November 1882. A Democrat, he was known for his alliance with the Cochise County Cowboys and his opposition to the Earp family.
Biography[]
John Harris Behan was born in Westport, Missouri on 24 October 1844, the son of an Irish immigrant carpenter from County Kildare and his Kentuckian wife. He travelled west to San Francisco, California to work as a miner and freighter before serving in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In 1863, he settled in Tucson, Arizona, and he worked as a clerk to the Arizona Legislative Assembly at Prescott and met several influential politicians. Behan moved to Prescott in 1865, and he worked in saloons and mines before entering politics as a Democrat. He served as Sheriff of Yavapai County from January 1871 to December 1873 and then as Yavapai County's representative to the Territorial Legislature from 6 January 1873 to 4 January 1875. He became the lover of Sadie Marcus after she arrived in Prescott from San Francisco in 1874, and he also had affairs with the wives of friends and business partners. In April 1876, he became census marshal of Yavapai County, and he served as sergeant at arms of the Legislative Assembly in 1877, Mohave County Recorder in 1877, Deputy Sheriff of Mohave County in 1879, and a saloon owner in the silver mine of Tip Top in 1879. In February 1881, he became the first Sheriff of Cochise County, and Tombstone became the county seat. In addition to serving as Sheriff, he was also Tombstone's tax collector, captain of the fire brigade, and Chairman of the Nonpartisan Anti-Chinese League, and he became a sympathizer of the Cochise County Cowboys gang of Curly Bill Brocius. However, he attempted to disarm the Clanton brothers after a town ordinance banned the carrying of guns in the town. They refused until the Earp brothers were disarmed, but the Earps went to the saloon to disarm the Cowboys themselves, resulting in a shootout which left Tom McLaury, Billy Clanton, and Frank McLaury dead. Behan became rivals with the Earps, and he ordered their arrests after Wyatt embarked on a "Vendetta Ride" against the Cowboys for killing his brother Morgan and crippling his brother Virgil. In November 1882, after being accused of corruption, Behan lost re-election. He became warden of the Yuma Territorial Prison and held various other government jobs until his death in Tucson in 1912 at the age of 67.