Wayne Davis

Wayne Davis, 1877-1914
Rodeo Champion and Arizona Ranger

Buried in Masons Cemetery, Block 7, Lot 4, Grave 5

(Grave marker photo courtesy of the
​Pioneers’ Cemetery Association, Inc.)

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​Wayne Davis was born May 1, 1877, in Arlington, Arizona. He was one of seven children born to James Davis and Harriet. The Davises were cattle ranchers, so Wayne and his brother Charles tended stock along the Agua Fria and New Rivers, becoming proficient at riding and roping. At age 17, Wayne won the world championship for steer roping in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He continued to enter roping contests at state fairs, gaining a reputation as an expert horseman.
 
In January 1900, Davis, his brother Charles, and several others, were out looking for a mine in the Four Peaks Mountains. While stopping to water their horses at a stream, they were ambushed by Indians. As shots were being fired at them, they mounted up and escaped unharmed. There was speculation that the ambush was the work of the Apache Kid, who had escaped from custody in 1889.
 
Wayne Davis was appointed deputy livestock inspector for Maricopa County in December 1900. This appointment led to him becoming a deputy sheriff with Maricopa County. He was tasked with tracking down wanted men or serving legal paperwork for the courts. However, he left the Sheriff’s office in 1906 to become an Arizona Ranger.  Assigned to a post near Roosevelt Lake, Arizona, he resigned within the year due to the desolation of the area. He returned to his old job at the sheriff’s office, where he served under Carl Hayden.
 
In May 1909, Davis took part in the capture of Henry Starr. Starr had been associated with the Dalton gang in the late 1880s and was considered a “skillful and dangerous desperado.”
 
Although Wayne Davis was respected as a rodeo cowboy and lawman, his reputation with women was questionable. He married Ella Gordon March 4, 1904, but she divorced him barely a year later. In 1909, he was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with Dorothy “Dolly” Haynes, who was not yet 17. To save the sheriff’s department the embarrassment of arresting him, Davis resigned his position as deputy on December 10, 1909, insisting that he had done no wrong. He did marry Dolly on March 7, 1910, but that marriage didn’t last, either. By 1913, Dolly was the wife of someone else. Davis went back to cattle ranching for a time before becoming a bartender at the Q T Saloon in Phoenix. 
 
While living at the Dorris Hotel in downtown Phoenix, Davis became infatuated with Alice Huntsman, a divorcee who also stayed there. She did not return his affections and expressed fear that he might hurt her. On April 6, 1914, Davis lurked outside the hotel, waiting for Alice. He shot her, then turned the gun on himself.
 
Wayne Davis was buried near his parents in Masons Cemetery. Alice died two weeks later and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery.
 
© 2021 by Patricia Gault. Last revised 23 February 2026.

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