William Bird Goodell
Agency patch
Inspector

William Bird Goodell

Accident
End of Watch December 16, 1863
Age 34
Tour of Duty
The Vigil Panel 2 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Inspector William Goodell and Deputy Collector James Anderson drowned in Washington state during a severe flood that swept the Port Angeles Customs House from its foundation and into the Strait of Juan De Fuca in Washinton. The Customs House was located at the foot of Valley Creek. A log jam upriver broke free during a storm, causing the floodwaters to sweep into the valley. Inspector Goodell had served with the United States Customs Service for only one week.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-0E4150A2
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

163 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Inspector Goodell served with the United States Department of the Treasury.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.

— 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 December 16, 1863
Tour of Duty
Age 34
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Incident Location WA

Inspector William Bird Goodell 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. William Bird Goodell's cause is highlighted.

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

How William Bird Goodell Compares

Age at Death
34
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
0
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Bird Goodell is highlighted in Dec.

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

, WA.