J. H. Morgan
Agency patch
City Marshal

J. H. Morgan

Butler Police Department — Butler, MO
Felonious
End of Watch December 4, 1889
Age 51
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
The Vigil Panel 10 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Marshal Morgan was shot and killed by a U.S. deputy marshal who he had arrested for disorderly conduct two days earlier. The U.S. deputy marshal was upset about the arrest and obtained an arrest warrant for Marshal Morgan under false pretences. When he went to serve the warrant the two exchanged shots and Marshal Morgan was fatally wounded. The U.S. deputy marshal was also shot and killed.

Survivors

Marshal Morgan had been with the agency for eight years and was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-FE2A10DF
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

137 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
City Marshal Morgan gave the Butler Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Butler community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Butler, Bates County, MO
Platform Identity bpd.bates.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 4, 1889
Tour of Duty 8 yrs
Age 51
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

City Marshal J. H. Morgan is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 63.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Butler Police Department
1
of 1 officers
100% Felonious
MO — Statewide
516
of 813 officers
63.5% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. J. H. Morgan's cause is highlighted.

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

How J. H. Morgan Compares

Age at Death
51
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
8
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. J. H. Morgan is highlighted in Dec.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. J. H. Morgan was killed by gun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Butler Police Department are honored on badge.nw.