Pat Garrett became a customs agent in El Paso, Texas

Although Pat Garrett is famous for killing Billy the Kid, his real life is much more convoluted than the myth of the brave lawman who gets his officer. Like many Westerners, he held a variety of occupations during his lifespan. In addition to working on ranches, Garrett maintained a tavern, rented out his rifle, rode with the Texas Rangers (though only for a short time), and made investments in irrigation projects. The latter all fell short.

Garrett participated in multiple gunfights and the murder of several men, including Billy the Kid, while serving as a police officer. In all the numerous Western places where Garrett lived, his neighbors frequently suspected him of engaging in illegal activity. In the best Western style, Garrett inflated his own adventures. Garrett was assigned as the US Customs Agent at the port of El Paso, Texas, by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1901. Because of Garrett's notoriety, the appointment was met with opposition.

Garrett was unable to carry out the responsibilities of his position with even a modicum of professional competence. He got into physical altercations with workers, had confrontations in front of imports, and generally irritated Roosevelt. Garrett went to New Mexico after being replaced in 1906, where he was assassinated in 1908 for reasons that are still unanswered.

Born: Patrick Floyd Jarvis Garrett, June 5, 1850 Chambers County, Alabama
Died: February 29, 1908 (aged 57)Las Cruces, New Mexico