William Harrison Hollingsworth

Iowa Department of Corrections — Des Moines, IA

Accident Veteran

End of Watch March 7, 1948

Age 31

The Vigil Panel 84 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 13

Incident

Guard William Hollingsworth was killed in a vehicle crash on Cass Center Road one mile north of Anamosa.

He and 10 inmates were driving to Prison Farm No. 3 to complete the morning chores when the prison truck slid on ice and went down a 15-foot embankment. Guard Hollingsworth was trapped under the truck and suffered fatal injuries. Several of the inmates were injured but survived.

Guard Hollingsworth was a U.S. Navy veteran of WWII.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, two daughters, parents, sister, and three brothers.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-IA-D39311E2
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Guard Hollingsworth served with the Iowa Department of Corrections.
Thank you for your service to the people of Iowa. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

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

Agency

Department Iowa Department of Corrections

Location Des Moines, IA

Platform Identity idcorr.polk.ia.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 7, 1948

Age 31

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

William Harrison Hollingsworth served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Guard William Harrison Hollingsworth is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In IA, 71 of 226 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.4 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Iowa Department of Corrections, 4 of 14 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.6% of this agency's fallen.

Iowa Department of Corrections

of 14 officers

28.6% Accident

IA — Statewide

of 226 officers

31.4% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident