Lewis Allison Highsmith
Agency patch
Customs Inspector

Lewis Allison Highsmith

Accident
End of Watch January 7, 1937
Age 48
The Vigil Panel 72 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Inspector Lewis Highsmith and Investigator William Butler, of the Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit, were killed in an automobile accident while traveling on official business from Wilmington to Raleigh, North Carolina.

As they approached the Black Lake Bridge, on Highway 301, the steering mechanism of their car failed and struck an abutment wall. Investigator Butler and Inspector Highsmith were both killed on impact.

Inspector Highsmith was survived by his wife.

Survivors

Inspector Highsmith was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-8ED4DE0E
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.
Customs Inspector Highsmith served with the United States Department of the Treasury.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Customs Inspector Highsmith.

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

Agency

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

Service Record

End of Watch January 7, 1937
Age 48
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Customs Inspector Lewis Allison Highsmith 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 the Treasury - United States Customs Service, 44 of 94 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 46.8% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of the Treasury - United States Customs Service
44
of 94 officers
46.8% 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. Lewis Allison Highsmith's cause is highlighted.

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

How Lewis Allison Highsmith Compares

Age at Death
48
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Lewis Allison Highsmith is highlighted in Jan.

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

Incident Location