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Sergeant

Richard John Gessner

New York City Police Department — New York, NY
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic → Illness
United States flag New York flag
End of Watch November 2, 1918
Age 40
The Vigil Panel 81 · Column 3 · Line 15 ›
Gender Male
Incident Service The Sacrifice Also Remembered Department 1,221

Incident

Sergeant Richard Gessner died as a result of complications of influenza while in the performance of his assigned duties during the Influenza Pandemic.

In August 1918, the first cases of influenza were reported in New York City, resulting in fewer than 31,600 deaths from the fall of 1918 until the final fourth wave in April 1920. The New York City Police Department's response to the pandemic was to enforce the health laws, including wearing masks and restricting large gatherings at churches, schools, theatres, and patrolling hot spots and quarantine zones.

Sergeant Gessner was assigned to the 51st Police Precinct.

The 1918 Influenza Pandemic

Sergeant Richard John Gessner died on November 2, 1918 of influenza contracted in the line of duty. He was 40.

He is one of 201 officers honored here, and one of 42 at New York City 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 three children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

No vaccine, no antibiotics, and you stood the post anyway.
Sergeant Gessner served with the New York City Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the New York community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Gessner.

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

Agency

Department New York City Police Department
Type Police Department
Location New York, NY
Platform Identity nypd.newyork.ny.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 2, 1918
Age 40
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail Influenza Pandemic

The Sacrifice · Illness

Richard 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.

  3. See the roll
  4. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 1918, 226 officers in the United States were lost to illness, the 3rd heaviest of 108 years on record. The heaviest was 2021, with 564.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Richard was 40. 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.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

November holds 7.8% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 14.9%. Saturdays: 13.9%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the 3rd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

New York City Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Richard among them.

Across the years

Sergeant Richard John Gessner

New York City Police Department · End of Watch November 2, 1918

Where the Name Is Cut

Also Remembered

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