Incident
Police Officer Francis Fullum died after contracting smallpox while struggling with an infected man in the area of Federal Hill.
The man he encountered was acting delirious as a result of the disease. Despite obvious signs that the man was infected, Officer Fullum struggled with the man and was able to subdue him and take him to a medical facility. Officer Fullum began showing signs of smallpox several weeks later and died on November 22nd, 1872.
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BO-US-MD-D31B2B7D- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
154 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Officer Fullum served with the Baltimore City Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Baltimore community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Francis J. Fullum is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MD, 15 of 377 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 4% of this state's fallen. That is 5.1 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Baltimore Police Dept., 10 of 151 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 6.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Francis J. Fullum's cause is highlighted.
How Francis J. Fullum Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Francis J. Fullum is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
150 officers from Baltimore Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.














