Julian Benjamin "Hoss" Wiggins
Agency patch
State Constable

Julian Benjamin "Hoss" Wiggins

Accident
End of Watch October 8, 1940
Age 38
Tour of Duty 7 mo
The Vigil Panel 77 ›
Gender Male

Incident

State Constable Julian Wiggins and Deputy Sheriff Robert Thompson were killed in a vehicle crash on Buncombe Road (modern-day Old Buncombe Road) three miles south of Travelers Rest.

They were assisting a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit, who had requested their assistance with seizing a vehicle that was illegally transporting alcohol. The driver of the vehicle had fled after crashing the vehicle when officers attempted to stop it. A mechanic was called to the scene to repair the vehicle before Deputy Thompson and Constable Wiggins began driving it back to Greenville.

As they entered a curve in the wet roadway the car struck a bump and crossed into the oncoming traffic. The vehicle collided with a truck and was demolished. Deputy Thompson died one hour later, and Constable Wiggins died the following night.

Constable Wiggins had served as a South Carolina State Constable for only seven months.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, three stepchildren, parents, sister, and brother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-0F9FDCA4
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.
State Constable Wiggins served with the South Carolina State Constable.
Thank you for your service to the Columbia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, State Constable Wiggins.

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

Agency

Location Columbia, SC
Platform Identity scscco.richland.sc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 8, 1940
Tour of Duty 7 mo
Age 38
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident
Cause Detail Automobile crash

State Constable Julian Benjamin "Hoss" Wiggins is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In SC, 137 of 438 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.3% of this state's fallen. That is 0.3 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At South Carolina State Constable, 1 of 6 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.7% of this agency's fallen.

South Carolina State Constable
1
of 6 officers
16.7% Accident
SC — Statewide
137
of 438 officers
31.3% Accident
Nationwide
10,088
of 32,508 officers
31% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Julian Benjamin "Hoss" Wiggins's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Julian Benjamin "Hoss" Wiggins Compares

Age at End of Watch
38
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
0.6
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Julian Benjamin "Hoss" Wiggins is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
707
May
847
Jun
795
Jul
897
Aug
937
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location