A Brief Biography of Artemus Gordon

[Apple]

A Brief Biography of Artemus Gordon
by
S. Rider

Artemus Gordon began his government career in the Union Army, eventually serving under General Ulysses S. Grant as a captain. His performance in the line of duty caught the attention of his commanding officer. After becoming president Grant chose Gordon to partner with James West in the Secret Service. The two agents traveled extensively together, investigating crimes against the United States and bringing the perpetrators to justice.

It is known that Artemus Gordon was a Shakespearean actor and “showboater” ‘widely known in the Chicago Theater circles’ before his patriotism drew him into the Union Army. His love of the Bard was evident, as he quoted Shakespeare often. This time in the theater developed Gordon’s skills in the use of make-up, facial masks, and hair pieces that would aid him during his years as an agent. He frequently used disguises to infiltrate criminal gangs so that he might investigate without being discovered. His knowledge of foreign languages and dialects also helped Artemus to not be recognized as an imposter more often than not. If he was discovered he was able to distract his captors and escape, either by trickery and deceit, or by use of incendiary devices.

The train on which the two agents traveled the western United States had a special lab car where Gordon would develop those incendiary devices, chemical sleeping gasses, and chemical leeches. He was also adept with developing tools such as those used for picking locks, a device which would keep a man breathing in an area where there was not much oxygen, and the like. Artemus also conducted experiments in his lab including using tuning forks to shatter glass, which aided himself and West in an investigation into insurance fraud, and using a microscope to study the striations on bullets to determine what type of gun was used in crimes. This was very well a first in scientific forensic investigation.

Arte‘s love of science came from his father who worked for duPont at their Eleutherian Mills gunpowder plant. The summer that Artemus was 15 he accompanied his father to a proving ground where explosives were tested. The young man was fascinated, took an apprenticeship at the mill, and thus began his lifelong study and use of explosives. He continued his education, studying Chemistry at the University of Delaware, where he also began his foray into acting.

All of this knowledge was what Artemus used as he and James worked to defeat master criminals, including Dr. Miguelito Loveless. Loveless was notorious for wanting the U.S. Government to return his familial property, the state of California, to its rightful owner--himself. He was thwarted many times by West and Gordon. He once used their friendship as a means of defeating them by using a drug on James which made him believe that he had killed Artemus. This would not be the last time that the agents would cross paths with the doctor, but the brilliant mind of Artemus Gordon was an aid in foiling his plans each time.

~END~
Copyright 2008