Frank Allen Mather
Agency patch
Special Agent

Frank Allen Mather

Accident
End of Watch October 15, 1932
Age 49
The Vigil Panel 65 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Special Agent Frank Mather and Policeman Blucher Soyars, of the Russellville, Kentucky, Police Department, were accidentally shot and killed during a case of mistaken identity. Agent Mather and several other agents had gone to Russellville to arrest liquor violators at the county fair and had not informed local authorities they were there. The agents had taken several prisoners and were holding them in a cabin when several local officers, including Policeman Soyars, went to the cabin to investigate the activity. When the two groups of officers encountered each other there was a misunderstanding and Agent Mather attempted to move towards the door. As he did so someone opened fire and both Policeman Soyars and Agent Mather were shot and killed.

Survivors

Agent Mather was survived by his wife and is buried in Red Hill Cemetery, Hodgenville, Larue County, Kentucky.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-9E8DE878
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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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Special Agent Mather served with the United States Department of Justice.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Agent Mather.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdjbpfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 15, 1932
Age 49
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Special Agent Frank Allen Mather is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In DC, 453 of 1,418 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 31.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of Justice - Bureau of Prohibition, 13 of 35 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 37.1% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Justice - Bureau of Prohibition
13
of 35 officers
37.1% Accident
DC — Statewide
453
of 1,418 officers
31.9% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Frank Allen Mather's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Frank Allen Mather Compares

Age at Death
49
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Frank Allen Mather is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897