Pat Garrett Biography

Pat Garrett

Western law man famous for killing Billy “The Kid”, Pat Garrett left his family's plantation in Louisiana in 1869 to become a buffalo hunter in Texas. In 1880 he married Apolinaria Gutierrez in Lincoln County, New Mexico, and was elected sheriff. That same year the Lincoln County War ended with outlaw Billy “The Kid” still on the loose. On July 13, 1881 Garrett killed Billy in Fort Sumner New Mexico after spending nearly a year hunting him down. Garrett also served as sheriff of Dona Ana County, New Mexico (1896–1902), and as collector of customs in El Paso, Texas (1902–06). Pat Garrett was shot dead by Wayne Brazel on February 29, 1908, near his Las Cruces, New Mexico ranch.