Roll of Honor
William M. Rader
Incident
Guard Will Rader was shot and killed during a prison escape from Ferguson State Farm in Madison County, Texas.
Two prisoners who had previously escaped returned to the farm in an attempt to free six other inmates. When the two returned, they immediately shot and killed Guard Rader with a shotgun.
Other guards immediately came to the scene and exchanged shots with the suspects. The two prior escapees and the six inmates were able to flee the prison farm. One of the escapees who was recaptured participated in another prison escape on July 27th, 1928, in which Dog Sergeant Henry Ward was shot and killed and two Fort Bend County deputies, including Deputy Sheriff Frank Bell, were wounded.
Deputy Bell would later die in the line of duty in an automobile crash on October 10th, 1930.
The prisoner who participated in both escapes was released on April 5, 1940.
Guard Rader was a widower twice-over and was survived by his five children. He was buried at Midway Cemetery in Midway, Texas.
Survivors
Guard Rader was a widower twice-over and was survived by his five children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-9817BA6E- 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.
Guard Rader served with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Thank you for your service to the Huntsville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Guard Rader.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Guard William M. Rader 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 TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division, 31 of 124 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William M. Rader's cause is highlighted.
How William M. Rader Compares
Offender Outcome
Released in 1940
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William M. Rader is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William M. Rader was killed by shotgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
123 officers from Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Correctional Institutions Division are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
