Authority control databases
| International | |
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| National | |
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Joseph G. Rosa | |
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| Born | November 20, 1932 West London, England |
| Died | January 17, 2015 (aged 82) |
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| Years active | 1958–2013 |
Joseph G. Rosa (November 20, 1932 – January 17, 2015) was a writer of Western history, notable for his many publications about Wild Bill Hickok. Rosa's book, They Called Him Wild Bill: The Life and Adventures of James Butler Hickok, was published in 1964 and is considered to be the first authentic biography of Wild Bill Hickok, and was accepted by historians as the definitive work on the subject.
Joseph G. Rosa was born November 20, 1932, in West London, England and grew up in Woodville Gardens, Ruislip, Middlesex. From an early age, Rosa loved movies, and especially Westerns, a passion that he shared with his father.[1]
Joseph G. Rosa's first job was as a copywriter for a firm that printed postage stamps and bank notes for the United Kingdom. He served in the Royal Air Force Signals, stationed in the United Kingdom and in Malta during the 1956 Suez Crisis. Rosa spent much of his career working in the communications industry, retiring in 1999. Throughout his over 50-year career as an historian, researcher and author, he compiled over 25 books and many articles for historic publications. He was wary of glamorization. Joseph died at age 82 on January 17, 2015, in Ruislip, England.[2]
Rosa stated "that a biography of a character like Jim Miller or John Wesley Hardin is justified on reputation and a list of killings. I don't agree. People like Hickok, Masterson or Tilghman and to some extent, perhaps, Earp in some way contributed toward the expansion of the United States, whereas the Hardins, Jesse Jameses retarded things."
