Bass Reeves was born in 1838 in Arkansas, in the United States of America.
He died in 1910 in Oklahoma. He served as a lawman for 32 years. He was the pioneer African who became a deputy U.S Marshal.
He was born as a slave in Arkansas. He fought in numerous wars. He was commissioned to work as a US marshal in 1875 by federal judge Isaac Parker of the Western district of Arkansas. At the time he was aged 37.
Bass Reeves was responsible for apprehending for arresting criminals in a region which was 194,000 square kilometers.
Reeves had a great knowledge of the Indian Territory and was able to speak several native languages. During his career, he was never wounded, despite having his hat and belt shot at two separate occasions.
Bass Reeves was known for his courage. During his career, he arrested over 3,000 criminals and shot dead only 14 of them to defend his life.
He retired from service in 1907 and became a city police officer in Oklahoma. He died at the age of 71 in 1910.
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