William J. Brady (16 August 1829 – 1 April 1878) was the sheriff of Lincoln County during the Lincoln County War in New Mexico. An ally of Lawrence Murphy, he was killed in an ambush by the Lincoln County Regulators in 1878.
Biography[]
William J. Brady was born in County Cavan, Ireland in 1829, the daughter of a potato farmer. After his father's death, he was briefly involved in local politics, but he left for the United States during the Irish Potato Famine. He arrived in New York City in July 1851, and he served in the US Army mounted rifles in Texas. He fought at the Battle of Glorieta Pass during the American Civil War, and he became commandant of Fort Stanton in 1864. He led several successful campaigns against the Navajo and Apache Native Americans, and he was discharged in 1866 with the rank of Major.
Lincoln County War[]
Brady before being shot
Brady, his Mexican wife, and their children settled on a ranch on the Rio Bonito, four miles east of Lincoln, New Mexico, and he was elected Sheriff of Lincoln County in 1869. During the Lincoln County War, he sided with Lawrence Murphy against the Lincoln County Regulators, as he owed Murphy money. After Brady was beaten up by two cowboys in spring 1877, he blamed John Tunstall, and Lincoln County deputies killed Tunstall on the trail in cold blood. On 1 April 1878, the Regulators retaliated, ambushing Brady and four of his deputies on the main street of Lincoln. Brady died of at least a dozen gunshot wounds.