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Patrolman

Dennis Joseph Murphy

Butte Police Department — Butte, MT

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic → Illness

End of Watch February 18, 1919

Age 31

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

The Vigil Panel 83 · Column 1 · Line 13 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Also Remembered Department 13

Incident

Patrolman Dennis Murphy died as a result of complications from influenza while performing his assigned duties during the Influenza Pandemic

On February 14, Patrolman Murphy finished his shift at the jailor's office and returned to his home. Later the same day, he telephoned the department to say that he was ill and suffering from Influenza. While recovering at his home in the 400 block of West Aluminum Avenue, pneumonia developed, and he died due to complications of influenza.

The Butte Police Department had been tasked with enforcing local health laws to help prevent the spread of influenza, as well as performing their regular police duties.

Patrolman Murphy served with the Butte Police Department for five years.

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic

Patrolman Dennis Joseph Murphy died on February 18, 1919 of influenza contracted in the line of duty. He was 31.

He is one of 201 officers honored here, and one of 2 at Butte Police Department.

The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more people worldwide than the war that preceded it. Police officers worked it without vaccines, without antibiotics, and often without masks, enforcing quarantines, transporting the sick, and standing posts in cities where the dead outpaced the undertakers.

They caught it doing the job. There was no treatment to give them.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and four children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at requiem.nw. One record, 2 gates. Dennis is one person.

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Tributes

No vaccine, no antibiotics, and you stood the post anyway.
Patrolman Murphy gave the Butte Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Butte community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Murphy.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Butte Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Butte, Silver Bow County, MT

Platform Identity bpd.silverbow.mt.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 18, 1919

Tour of Duty 5 yrs

Age 31

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Cause Detail Influenza Pandemic

The Sacrifice · Illness

Dennis is one of 2,028 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,552 remembered there.

34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1919, 32 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 11th heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Dennis was 31. Of the 1,996 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51. Dennis had served 5 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.