Emmett Dalton
The Dalton Gang's sole surviving member who turned his notoriety into a second act as a Hollywood consultant and author.
1871–1937 (age 66)·American outlaw·Birthday: May 3·The Gilded Age
Biography
Emmett Dalton lived two distinct lives separated by a hail of bullets. The youngest of the infamous Dalton brothers, he participated in their final, disastrous 1892 Coffeyville raid attempting to rob two banks simultaneously. Shot twenty-three times and left for dead, he survived against all odds, receiving a life sentence. His prison term became a period of transformation; pardoned after fourteen years, he emerged a changed man. Dalton leveraged his criminal past into legitimate enterprise, writing books, advising on Western films, and even developing real estate in Los Angeles. He became a walking contradiction—a former outlaw who lectured on law and order, his body a living map of his violent youth while his mind focused on atonement. His later years were spent crafting a narrative of redemption, making him a unique bridge between the lawless frontier and the dawn of modern American media.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Emmett was born in 1871, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Emmett Was Born
The biggest hits of 1871
Emmett's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1871Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1876Started school
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1884Became a teenager
President: Chester A. Arthur
1887Could drive
President: Grover Cleveland
1889Could vote
Eiffel Tower opens in Paris
President: Benjamin Harrison
1892Turned 21
President: Benjamin Harrison
1901Turned 30
Queen Victoria dies, ending the Victorian era
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Turned 40
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1921Turned 50
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1931Turned 60
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1937Died at 66
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
Key Achievements
- Survived the bloody Coffeyville raid after being shot twenty-three times by townspeople.
- Authored "When the Daltons Rode," a popular account of his gang's exploits and his reform.
- Became a paid consultant for early Hollywood Westerns, lending authenticity to films about the era he helped define.
- Received a pardon in 1907 after serving fourteen years of a life sentence for his crimes.
- Built a successful post-prison career in real estate development in Los Angeles.
Did You Know?
He was the only participant in the Coffeyville raid to survive the gunfight.
After his pardon, he married his childhood sweetheart, Julia Johnson, who had waited for him.
One of his real estate projects was building housing for actors in the early film industry.
He claimed to have met famous lawman Bat Masterson in a Hollywood restaurant.
A 1918 silent film, "The Last Stand of the Dalton Boys," was based on his book.
“The only good thing about my past is that it's behind me.”
