The legendary gambler and gunfighter John Henry Holliday, well known by his stage name Doc Holliday, is most known for taking part in the OK Corral gunfight alongside his close buddy Wyatt Earp. Although he worked as a dentist, he developed a reputation for being quick on the draw and skillful with cards. He was tuberculosis-infected. Additionally, he was a strong drinker, which had a negative impact on his health. He spent the majority of his time in the Wild West on the gambling trail, where he met Wyatt Earp and was sent as a deputy marshal to deal with a group of cowboys who were causing trouble in Tombstone. He was taken into custody on a number of occasions for offenses ranging from the illicit possession of gaming equipment to murder. The only lady Holliday was known to have dated was Mary Katherine Horony-Cummings, also known as “Big Nose Kate.” However, there is no evidence that they were ever married or had any children. He spent his final days in Colorado in the hope that the hot springs might heal him, but at the age of 36, he passed away from tuberculosis. His mythical existence in the Wild West has been depicted in numerous films, folk ballads, and novels, all of which have found success to date.
Early Childhood & Life
Henry and Alice Holliday welcomed John Henry Holliday into the world on August 14, 1851, in Griffin, Georgia. His father participated in both the American Civil War and the Mexican-American War as a “Confederate.” He was of English and Scottish ancestry. Francisco was his adopted brother.
His mother passed away from tuberculosis in Valdosta, Georgia, two years after his family relocated there in 1864. The same ailment also claimed the life of his sibling. The following year, his father wed Rachel Martin.
At the “Valdosta Institute,” he studied Latin and French language, history, and math. Later, at the age of 20, he relocated to Philadelphia and finished his “Doctor of Dental Surgery” degree at the “Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery.” Before he could practice, he had to wait until he was 21.
Practice as a Dentist Early
To work as an assistant, he relocated to St. Louis, Missouri. He soon moved to live with his uncle in Atlanta. He joined Arthur C. Ford, where he began to train and fill in when he wasn’t there.
When he was 22, he got into a fight with some black kids over who got to use a swimming spot in the Withlacoochee River, and he’s thought to have fired a shotgun at them. There is no proof of the occurrence, despite some accounts claiming that he killed one of the black people.
He was given a TB diagnosis, which had already claimed the lives of his mother and adopted brother. He relocated to Dallas, Texas, which was outside of which was the Wild West, on the recommendation to go to a warmer place.
He joined forces with Dr. John A. Seegar in Dallas, and the two of them soon became well-known as a dental team. They received numerous honors, including one for the greatest set of dental equipment and prosthetic teeth. After their shared practice came to an end in 1874, Holliday established his own in Dallas.
Due to frequent coughing fits brought on by illness, his practice declined, and he turned to gamble as an easier means of making money. He was previously charged with unlawful gambling and detained for taking part in a shootout.
Tracing the path of gambling
He made the decision to leave Dallas in 1875 and rode a stagecoach to Denver, where he worked as a faro dealer under the identity “Tom Mackey.” Soon after, he got into a fight with renowned gambler Bud Ryan, wounding him severely with a knife in the process.
He moved further west after spending a year in Denver. He obtained employment as a card dealer in a Cheyenne tavern. He traveled to Deadwood during the gold rush and then reversed his route back to Denver while playing cards. He continued on to Kansas and then to Breckenridge, Texas, where a gunshot wound left him gravely wounded. He relocated to Fort Griffin after his recovery, where he eventually met Mary Katherine Horony.
Holliday and Horony relocated to Dodge City in 1878 and established themselves there as Dr. and Mrs. John H. Holliday. He started dental practice, but the majority of his time was spent gambling. He soon freed Wyatt Earp from a difficult predicament. It is alleged that Doc Holliday pulled his gun on one of the cowboys and ordered them to put down their weapons when Wyatt was outnumbered by them in a saloon. Since then, Doc and Wyatt have forged a strong friendship.
Holliday had a reputation for being a magician with both cards and a firearm. Along with Horony, he relocated to Las Vegas where he continued to gamble and work as a dentist. He left Dodge City because of the harsh winters and the gambling restrictions, despite the fact that the area’s hot springs were supposed to be beneficial for tuberculosis patients.
In favor of the law
Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF) and Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW) were vying over a right-of-way across the Royal Gorge, the only natural path through the Rockies, and he joined a team led by deputy US marshal Bat Masterson to stop the conflict. By means of the Boston Peace Treaty, the fight was over, and Holliday went back to Las Vegas to reunite with Horony.
When the train arrived in Las Vegas, the city was humming with activity. Together with his business partner John Joshua Webb, Holliday constructed a saloon and launched a gambling operation. He traveled to Prescott with the Earps in 1879. He stayed behind in Prescott with Horony while the Earps traveled on to Tombstone because he thought the location was appropriate for gambling. He visited Tombstone a year later and became involved in the local politics and bloodshed.
Virgil Earp served as Tombstone’s police commander and deputy US marshal in October 1881. When he was constantly approached by a bunch of cowboys who kept defying the law, he sent out Holliday as a backup. Holliday was responsible for the gang leaders being killed in the ensuing gunfire and was determined to have acted legally.
After the murder, things in Tombstone got worse. Virgil Earp suffered severe injuries in an assault in 1881. In 1882, Morgan Earp perished in a deadly ambush. As a deputy marshal, Holliday persisted in helping the Earps fight the cowboys in numerous gunfights, including the infamous one at Iron Springs.
Later Years of Doc Holliday
Later, due to disagreements with Earp, he departed Tombstone in 1882 and moved to Pueblo, Colorado. He was detained in Denver on suspicion of killing Frank Stilwell. After learning of the arrest, Earp utilized his contacts to secure Holliday’s release.
In the hopes that the spring waters might cure his tuberculosis, Holliday spent the remainder of his days in Colorado. But as his condition deteriorated, he quickly developed an alcohol addiction. A few more gunfights took place until he passed away on November 8, 1887, in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. She was by his side throughout his final days, according to Horony.
Individual Life of Doc Holliday
Big Nose Kate, also known as Mary Katherine Horony-Cummings, was the only lady that Holliday was rumored to have dated. She was a dance hall performer and infrequent prostitute who Holliday thought was just as smart as he was. They were allegedly married and residing in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where Holliday practiced dentistry during the day and gambled at night. They frequently argued, and it occasionally got physical. They frequently split up yet occasionally found a solution to their problems.
He got into a battle with Horony while he was still in Tombstone, and Horony was later used by his adversaries to sign an affidavit linking him to a robbery and murder. She then said that she had been coerced into signing the contract. The judge then dismissed the charges. After the incident, Holliday and Horony split up, and she departed the city.
Estimated net worth
Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb, and other online resources claim that renowned Doc Holliday Before he passed away, Doc Holliday had a net worth of $67 million. Being a professional Doc Holliday, he made the money. He is a Georgian.
Trivia
In March 2005, Dan Bates dedicated a life-size sculpture of Holliday and Earp to the “Southern Arizona Transportation Museum” in the iconic railroad depot in Tucson, Arizona.
Griffin, where Doc Holliday was born, observes “Doc Holliday Day,” Georgia’s Valdosta, in January 2010, had a Doc Holliday impersonator competition.
Numerous films and books on Doc Holliday’s life have been published over the years. These include the television program “Legends and Lies: The Real West” on “Fox News Channel” and Mary Doria Russell’s book “Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral.”