William Thomas Cody
Agency patch
Constable

William Thomas Cody

Butler County Sheriff's Office — El Dorado, KS
Felonious
End of Watch June 2, 1885
Age 34
The Vigil Panel 8 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Constable Cody was shot and killed in the line of duty while serving as a constable in Beaumont. A fight among railroad workers occurred on the Kansas City and Southwestern Road near the village of Beaumont during which one of the bosses, a railroad foreman, shot and wounded one of the workers. Later that evening, Constable Thomas Cody located the suspect and attempted to arrest the man who then shot and killed Constable Cody. A $950 reward was put up for information leading to the arrest of the suspect, who was later apprehended.

Survivors

Constable Cody was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-KS-8B9BE4B3
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew William. Claim this record.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

Tributes

141 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Constable Cody served with the Butler County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the El Dorado community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location El Dorado, Butler County, KS
Platform Identity bcso.butler.ks.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 2, 1885
Age 34
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Constable William Thomas Cody 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 KS, 237 of 335 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 70.7% of this state's fallen. That is 70.7 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Butler County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.

Butler County Sheriff's Office
1
of 4 officers
25% Felonious
KS — Statewide
237
of 335 officers
70.7% 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. William Thomas Cody's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Thomas Cody Compares

Age at Death
34
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William Thomas Cody is highlighted in Jun.

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. William Thomas Cody was killed by gun.

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