Bill Tilghman
Bill Tilghman was a frontier scout, buffalo hunter,
peace officer, and state senator. Wow! That’s
many jobs for one person! But Bill did them all
well. Most of all, people remember Bill as
Marshall Tilghman. (Bill’s last name sounds like
“till man”.) He spent over 50 years as a police
officer in Oklahoma!
Bill started making sure people obeyed the law in
a dangerous town. That was in Dodge City,
Kansas. In those days, rowdy cowboys and
outlaws made trouble in the town. But Bill was
known for his courage. People trusted him to keep the peace in their town.
He wasn’t like other frontier police men. He rarely drew his gun on any criminal.
In the late 1800s, he helped track down the Doolin gang of bank robbers.
Tilghman came to Oklahoma during the land run of April 1889. He built his first
home in Guthrie. Two years later, he was appointed a United States Marshal.
Marshals are like city police officers. Except marshals work for the national
government. But Marshal Tilghman wanted to do other things to help the people
of Oklahoma. So he ran for office and the people chose him to be in our state
Senate.
Bill missed being a police man. So, he decided to take his last job as the Chief
of Police in Oklahoma City. At the age of 70, Bill was still keeping the peace.
One day, Bill was shot and killed when trying to arrest a man.
1. What kind of law man was Bill Tilghman?
2. What kinds of jobs did Bill Tilghman have?
3. If you were to meet Bill Tilghman, what question would you like to ask him?
Courtesy Oklahoma Council for Social Studies