Harry P. Minto

Oregon Department of Corrections — Salem, OR

Felonious

End of Watch September 28, 1915

Age 51

Tour of Duty 23 yrs

The Vigil Panel 30 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 10

Incident

Superintendent Harry Minto was shot and killed while searching for a prison escapee. The posse encountered the escapee on a road about two miles from Jefferson and immediately exchanged shots with the man. Superintendent Minto was struck in the head and killed. The suspect had obtained a gun earlier in the evening when the Jefferson marshal attempted to arrest him. The suspect was able to gain control of the marshal's service weapon and shot him, seriously wounding him. The suspect was also shot and killed during the incident. An accomplice of the suspect later murdered Officer R. G. Warnke, of the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Leavenworth, Kansas, on June 20, 1929. He was executed for Officer Warnke's murder. Superintendent Minto had served as Chief of Police of Salem, Oregon, from 1892 to 1896 and two terms as Sheriff of Marion County. He was appointed Superintendent in 1914.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, sister, and two brothers, and cremated in Portland, Oregon.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-OR-915FD6BD
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

23 years. You could have gone home.
Superintendent Minto gave the Oregon Department of Corrections 23 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of Oregon. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Superintendent Minto.

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

Agency

Department Oregon Department of Corrections

Location Salem, OR

Platform Identity odcorr.marion.or.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 28, 1915

Tour of Duty 23 yrs

Age 51

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Handgun

Offender Executed

Superintendent Harry P. Minto is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In OR, 115 of 197 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58.4% of this state's fallen. That is 4.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Oregon Department of Corrections, 10 of 11 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 90.9% of this agency's fallen.

Oregon Department of Corrections

of 11 officers

90.9% Felonious

OR — Statewide

115

of 197 officers

58.4% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious