Henry Hooker
Henry Clay Hooker (1831? - 1893?) was a prominent and wealthy rancher of the Old West, and personal friend to lawman Wyatt Earp during the early 1880s.
Hooker, sometimes referred to as "Col. Hooker", owned and operated the Sierra Bonita Ranch, located in Graham and Cochise Counties, first established in 1872. At one time his ranch was the largest in Arizona, at 800 acres (3.2 km2). The ranch is now listed as a National Historic Landmark, due to it having been the first permanent ranch established in Arizona.
Hooker, for a time, employed Billy the Kid, who at the time was unknown, that being prior to the Lincoln County War. Hooker was a supporter of the Earp faction, and assisted them with allowing them the use of his ranch and supplies during the Earp vendetta ride. Although a prominent figure in the events that played out in Arizona during the late 19th century, little is known of Hooker otherwise. Little is known of his life after those events, and even less is known of his life prior to the events involving the Earp-Cow-boys clash. It is believed that he served during the Civil War, on the side of the Union, but that has never been confirmed. It is believed that he died in 1893, on his ranch. In the 1993 film Tombstone, Hooker was portrayed by actor Charleton Heston. Hooker also had a book written about him, by author Lynn R. Bailey, titled Henry Clay Hooker and the Sierra Bonita.