Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Thomas McVerry contracted influenza while performing his assigned job duties during the Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918.
The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police patrolmen had been ordered to enforce health laws, rules, and regulations put in place by the Director of the Department of Public Safety and the Acting Commissioner of Health to help stop the spread of influenza, as well as perform their regular police duties. During the Influenza Pandemic, police wagons were used to transport victims to and from the hospital when city ambulances became overwhelmed due to the number of victims. In October 1918, during the highest point of influenza and the deadliest week in the city, the hospital facilities were overwhelmed, with six ambulances out of commission, and only six working ambulances to answer calls in the city. The Director of the Department of Public Safety agreed with neighboring towns to use three ambulances and was granted permission to use two police wagons steadily.
The first reported case of influenza in Pittsburgh was on October 1, 1918, and the first death was reported on October 5, 1918. The city of Pittsburgh had the highest death rate per capita in the United States, averaging 807 deaths per 100,000 people. More than 23,000 cases of influenza were reported in the city, and more than 5,000 deaths. During the worst days, one Pittsburgher fell ill every 70 seconds, and someone died every 10 minutes.
Patrolman McVerry served with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for eight years, assigned to the Number 2 Police Station on Centre Avenue and Dinwiddie Street in the Hill District, present-day Zone 2 Police Station, Strip District.
Patrolman McVerry's brother, Patrolman James J. McVerry, also served as a Pittsburgh Police Officer and died in the line of duty on March 15, 1929, when his police wagon overturned responding to a fire.
Patrolman McVerry and his brother are buried next to each other at Calvary Cemetery in Hazelwood in a family plot.
Effects of the 1918-1920 Influenza Pandemic on Law EnforcementAlso known as "Spanish Flu" or "LaGrippe," the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 to early 1920, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide—about one-third of the planet’s population—and killed approximately 675,000 Americans. The effect of the influenza epidemic in the United States was so dire that the average life span in the U.S. fell by twelve years. The four waves of the flu began in March 1918 and ended in April 1920. Many officers contracted this virus due to the requirements of their job. The names of every officer who died in the line of duty from the Influenza Pandemic will likely never be known. Still, ODMP researchers continue to uncover new cases as part of our mission never to forget the fallen. Please click here to view ODMP's Influenza memorial, listing all known fallen officers from the pandemic.
Also known as "Spanish Flu" or "LaGrippe," the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 to early 1920, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide—about one-third of the planet’s population—and killed approximately 675,000 Americans. The effect of the influenza epidemic in the United States was so dire that the average life span in the U.S. fell by twelve years. The four waves of the flu began in March 1918 and ended in April 1920. Many officers contracted this virus due to the requirements of their job.
The names of every officer who died in the line of duty from the Influenza Pandemic will likely never be known. Still, ODMP researchers continue to uncover new cases as part of our mission never to forget the fallen.
Please click here to view ODMP's Influenza memorial, listing all known fallen officers from the pandemic.
Patrolman McVerry served with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for eight years, assigned to the Number 2 Police Station on Centre Avenue and Dinwiddie Street in the Hill District, present-day Zone 2 Police Station, Strip District.
The 1918 Influenza Pandemic
Patrolman Thomas Francis McVerry died on October 26, 1918 of influenza contracted in the line of duty. He was 34.
He is one of 201 officers honored here, and one of 9 at Pittsburgh Bureau of Police.
The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more people worldwide than the war that preceded it. Police officers worked it without vaccines, without antibiotics, and often without masks, enforcing quarantines, transporting the sick, and standing posts in cities where the dead outpaced the undertakers.
They caught it doing the job. There was no treatment to give them.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-PA-DBE82D88- 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
No vaccine, no antibiotics, and you stood the post anyway.
Patrolman McVerry gave the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police 8 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman McVerry.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Thomas Francis McVerry is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.
In PA, 121 of 1,261 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.6% of this state's fallen. That is 9.6 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, 13 of 101 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 12.9% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Thomas Francis McVerry's cause is highlighted.
How Thomas Francis McVerry Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Thomas Francis McVerry is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
100 officers from Pittsburgh Bureau of Police are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
