John H. Spalding
Agency patch
City Marshal

John H. Spalding

Waxahachie Police Department — Waxahachie, TX
Felonious
End of Watch December 17, 1882
Age 47
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
The Vigil Panel 7 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Marshal John Spalding was shot and killed while coming to the aid of another marshal who was being fired upon. Marshal Spalding was shot in the head during the shootout. The suspect attempted to flee but was shot and killed by a posse.

Marshal Spalding had served with the Waxahachie Police Department for 6 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-A3D883F8
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

144 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
City Marshal Spalding gave the Waxahachie Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Waxahachie community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Waxahachie, Ellis County, TX
Platform Identity wpd.ellis.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 17, 1882
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 47
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun; .45 caliber

City Marshal John H. Spalding 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 TX, 1,461 of 2,422 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.3% of this state's fallen. That is 60.3 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Waxahachie Police Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Waxahachie Police Department
2
of 3 officers
66.7% Felonious
TX — Statewide
1,461
of 2,422 officers
60.3% 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. John H. Spalding's cause is highlighted.

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

How John H. Spalding Compares

Age at Death
47
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
6
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John H. Spalding 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. John H. Spalding was killed by handgun; .45 caliber.

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

2 officers from Waxahachie Police Department are honored on badge.nw.