John M. Burke

Born in 1842 and widely known as "Arizona John" Burke, he became best known as the press agent and general promoter for Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West. Before that, he worked in journalism and publicity, building the lively, larger-than-life style that later made him famous.

Burke also wrote books tied to the world he promoted, including works about Buffalo Bill and the performers around the Wild West show. His writing mixed biography, entertainment, and promotion, which helped spread the mythology of the American frontier to a huge audience in the United States and abroad.

He died in 1917. Today, he is remembered less as a novelist than as an energetic storyteller and marketer whose words helped define how the West was presented to the public.