Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Edward Hennessey died as a result of contracting influenza while in the performance of his assigned duties of enforcing health orders and operating ambulances during the Influenza Pandemic in Dayton.
Dayton City Police Officers had been ordered to close saloons that violated health orders, man ambulances, keep crowds from gathering, and remove corpses. More than 700 citizens died from the Spanish Influenza between October 1918 and January 1919. As a result of stopping the spread of the flu and maintaining order in the city of Dayton, many members of the Dayton City Police Department became ill with the flu, and six officers died.
Patrolman Hennessey served with the Dayton Police Department for almost six and a half years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, daughter, father, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-7CB5CC26- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Patrolman Hennessey gave the Dayton Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Dayton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Hennessey.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Edward Michael Hennessey 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 OH, 49 of 991 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 4.9% of this state's fallen. That is 4.2 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Dayton Police Department, 7 of 31 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 22.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Edward Michael Hennessey's cause is highlighted.
How Edward Michael Hennessey Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Edward Michael Hennessey is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
30 officers from Dayton Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
