DeArment, Robert K. 1925–

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DeArment, Robert K. 1925–

(Robert Kendall DeArment)

PERSONAL: Born August 29, 1925, in Johnstown, PA; son of John R. (an insurance adjuster) and Madeleine (a secretary) DeArment; married Rose Marie Nowakowski (a vice-president and general manager of a fishing tackle manufacturing company); children: Rosemary, Paul, Joan, Diana. Education: University of Toledo, B.A., 1952. Politics: Conservative. Religion: "No church affiliation."

ADDRESSES: Home—Sylvania, OH. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Champion Spark Plug Co., Toledo, OH, factory work, 1950–55, production scheduler, 1956–70, manager of sales order department, 1971–79, assistant manager of marketing services, beginning 1980. President of Stillfish Corp. (fishing tackle manufacturers), 1959–. Military service: U.S. Army, Combat Infantry, 1943–46; became staff sergeant.

MEMBER: National Association and Center for Outlaw and Lawman History (life member; member of board of directors), Kansas State Historical Society (life member), Western Writers of America, Western Outlaw and Lawman Association.

AWARDS, HONORS: Inclusion, 50 great Western books of all time list, True West, for Bat Masterson: The Man and the Legend.

WRITINGS:

Bat Masterson: The Man and the Legend, University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, OK), 1979.

Knights of the Green Cloth: The Saga of the Frontier Gamblers, University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, OK), 1982.

(Editor and author of introduction) Jim McIntire, Early Days in Texas: A Trip to Hell and Heaven, University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, OK), 1992.

George Scarborough: The Life and Death of a Lawman on the Closing Frontier, University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, OK), 1992.

(Editor) Philip J. Rasch, Trailing Billy the Kid, National Association for Outlaw and Lawman History/University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY), 1995.

Alias Frank Canton, University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, OK), 1996.

(Editor) Philip J.Rasch, Gunsmoke in Lincoln County, National Association for Outlaw and Lawman History/University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY), 1997.

(Editor) Philip J. Rasch, Warriors of Lincoln County, National Association for Outlaw and Lawman History/University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY), 1998.

(Author of foreword) Karen Holliday, Doc Holliday: A Family Portrait, University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, OK), 1998.

(Editor) Philip J.Rasch, Desperadoes of Arizona Territory, National Association for Outlaw and Lawman History/University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY), 1999.

Bravo of the Brazos: John Larn of Fort Griffin, Texas, University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, OK), 2002.

Deadly Dozen: Twelve Forgotten Gunfighters of the Old West, University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, OK), 2003.

(Editor and author of introduction and annotations) William Rathmell, Life of the Marlows: A True Story of Frontier Life of the Early Days, University of North Texas Press (Denton, TX), 2004.

Jim Courtright of Fort Worth: His Life and Legend, TCU Press (Fort Worth, TX), 2004.

Broadway Bat: Gunfighter in Gotham: The New York City Years of Bat Masterson, Talei Publishers (Honolulu, HI), 2005.

Ballots and Bullets: The Bloody County Seat Wars of Kansas, foreword by Richard Brown, University of Oklahoma Press (Norman, OK), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: Robert K. DeArment's love of Western history led him to a writing career in addition to his business career. His numerous books include studies of some of the most fascinating figures of the Old West. For example, he has twice written about the lawman and gunfighter, Bat Masterson, whose colorful career included buffalo hunter, army scout, gambler, and even columnist to a New York newspaper. DeArment's first book, the 1979 Bat Masterson: The Man and the Legend, was chosen as one the fifty great Western books of all time by True West magazine, and his 2005 title, Broadway Bat: Gunfighter in Gotham: The New York City Years of Bat Masterson, examines the little-known New York years of the lawman.

DeArment examines the life of another lawman in his 1992 George Scarborough: The Life and Death of a Lawman on the Closing Frontier. The U.S. Marshal in El Paso, Texas, Scarborough became known for one major event: the killing of the gunman John Selman in 1896. Scarborough was the son of a Baptist minister, and as a lawman was also noted for his ability to track down outlaws. Though a contributor for Publishers Weekly felt "this sympathetic biography leaves blank the heart and soul behind the badge," Michael L. Tate, writing in the Historian, had a more positive assessment. Tate praised DeArment's "meticulous research into newspapers, manuscript materials, and published recollections [that] has produced a wealth of detail about Scarborough's life."

In his Alias Frank Canton DeArment continues his examination of the lives of famous lawmen in the West. Canton was born Joe Horner, and as a youth served prison time for rustling. Escaping from prison, he changed his name to Canton and began a career in law enforcement in Wyoming and the Oklahoma Territory. Reviewing Alias Frank Canton in History: Review of New Books, J. Thomas Murphy noted, "DeArment assiduously follows Canton's career and tries to clarify his reputation," and further concluded that the biography was an "important work on the American West." Similar praise came from Wild West contributor Sierra Adare, who wrote, "DeArment has done his usual bang-up research job, and the intriguing Horner/Canton true Western tale makes for a fascinating read," and from Booklist contributor Fred Egloff, who concluded: "A fast-paced, objective biography that will be a significant addition to western history collections."

DeArment examines the other side of the legal fence in his Deadly Dozen: Twelve Forgotten Gunfighters of the Old West, Here, DeArment looks at the lives of other lesser-known gunman who achieved a degree of fame in their day, but who have since been largely forgotten. Willis M. Buhle, reviewing that title in Reviewer's Bookwatch, called it "informed and informative," as well as a "real treat for American frontier history buffs."

DeArment once commented: "Although most of my adult life has been devoted to business, I have maintained a keen interest in the history of the American West. I have delved deeply into this area and my writing is based on thirty years of research."