Henry Garfias

Henry Garfias (born Enrique Garfias; 1851–1896) was the first city marshal of Phoenix, Arizona. He was also a gunfighter who became the elected official of Mexican descent holding the highest office the Phoenix region in the 19th century.

Early years Garfias was born in Orange County, California, to Manuel Garfias and Maria Luisa Avila. He lived in the town of Anaheim, California, with his parents. His father, who was once a general in the Mexican Army, was very strict. Garfias heard about the gold mines in Arizona, and when he was 20 years old he headed to Wickenburg, Arizona Territory, in search of gold in the Vulture Mountains. In 1874, he moved to the newly founded town of Phoenix.

County deputy sheriff

Though Garfias was slender and not very tall at 5'9", he was well-built. He practiced his shooting skills and was hired as the county deputy sheriff in Phoenix. He was known simply as Sheriff "Henry" Garfias by the townsfolk. The town grew and within a year of Garfias becoming a deputy sheriff the town had 16 saloons and four dance halls located in Whiskey Row in the north side of Washington Street. The town of Phoenix was practically lawless because the military garrison stationed at Fort McDowell, more than 30 miles away, was the only other "law" in the region. However, Garfias responded quickly to disturbances, which were common affairs, especially on Saturday nights.

Normally, Seymour hid his loot after a robbery, but suspicions arose when in one occasion he used some of the money from a robbery in a local saloon's poker game.

Maricopa County Sheriff Lindley Orme sent deputy Henry Garfias to investigate the situation. During his investigation Garfias was told by witnesses that on the day of the last robbery they spotted Henry Seymour, the blacksmith, with a rifle under his arm along with several gunny sacks. Garfias suspected that Seymour was the Ghost Bandit and decided to set a trap.

Town marshal Replica of Sheriff Henry Garfias’ office and jail with a figure which resembles and represents Garfia. In 1881, Phoenix was officially incorporated into a town and Garfias was appointed as the town marshal. When a formal municipal election was held he won, thus becoming the highest elected Mexican American official in the Valley during the 19th century. He encountered many outlaws during the years that he served as a lawman, and killed many of them in shoot-outs.

According to author Jeffrey R Richardson, Garfias once was confronted by four rowdy cowboys who began to take shots at him from horseback, while Garfias was on foot. Garfias killed all four of them leaving them laying dead in the dusty street. Plus, no other Latino would lead Phoenix's police authority for nearly a century, until Ruben B. Ortega was appointed police chief on February 25, 1980.