Ellsworth W. Cordes
Agency patch
Police Officer

Ellsworth W. Cordes

Seattle Police Department — Seattle, WA
Accident
End of Watch December 31, 1932
Age 35
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
The Vigil Panel 65 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer Ellsworth Cordes was killed when his police motorcycle struck a streetcar at First Avenue South and Horton Street. His partner, Police Officer Ralph Ahner, had been killed in a motorcycle crash three blocks away only three months earlier.

Survivors

Officer Cordes had been a member of the Seattle Police Department for two years and was survived by his wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Cordes gave the Seattle Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Seattle community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Cordes.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Seattle, King County, WA
Platform Identity seatpd.king.wa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch December 31, 1932
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 35
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

Ellsworth is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 1932, 110 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 4th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Ellsworth was 35. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Ellsworth had served 2 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

December holds 8.9% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Saturdays: 14.9%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Seattle Police Department has 60 officers remembered here, Ellsworth among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Police Officer Ellsworth W. Cordes

Seattle Police Department · End of Watch December 31, 1932

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 29-E

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