Thomas Goodson
Agency patch
Deputy U.S. Marshal

Thomas Goodson

Felonious
End of Watch December 1, 1888
The Vigil Panel 9 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Marshal Goodson was shot and killed in Carter County, Tennessee, while attempting to arrest moonshiners. He was shot and killed by the suspects near Roan Mountain on December 1, 1888, but his body wasn't discovered until December 11, 1888.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-F679E377
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

138 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Goodson served with the United States Department of Justice.
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 usms.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 1, 1888
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Goodson is one of 17,559 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 53.9% of all 32,586 officers honored here.

In DC, 754 of 1,419 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.1% of this state's fallen. That is 0.8 percentage points below the national rate of 53.9%.

At United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, 251 of 313 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 80.2% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service
251
of 313 officers
80.2% Felonious
DC — Statewide
754
of 1,419 officers
53.1% Felonious
Nationwide
17,559
of 32,586 officers
53.9% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas Goodson's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,559 (53.9%)
Accident
10,094 (31%)
Illness
3,037 (9.3%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
334 (1%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)

How Thomas Goodson Compares

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Goodson 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. Thomas Goodson was killed by gun.

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