Mathias J. Degan
Agency patch
Patrolman

Mathias J. Degan

Chicago Police Department — Chicago, IL
Felonious
End of Watch May 4, 1886
Age 34
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 6 mo
Badge 648
The Vigil Panel 8 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Mathias J. Degan was with other officers assigned to disperse crowds near Haymarket Square. A bomb was thrown and exploded amidst the officers. Officer Degan was struck by shrapnel. He was the first of eight officers to die in what is known as the historic Haymarket Tragedy. Officer Degan served with the Chicago Police Department for a year and a half and was assigned to the 3rd Precinct. Officer Degan was a widower who was survived by his son; he is buried in Saint Boniface Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois. Eight men were arrested and charged with the officers' murders. Seven were convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The other one was sentenced to 15 years. On November 11, 1887, four of them were executed by hanging. The day before, one of the suspects killed himself in his cell with a smuggled dynamite cap which he detonated in his mouth. The other three were pardoned by Governor Altgeld in 1893. Of the eight charged, historical reports note only two were at the scene. The bomber was never correctly identified or brought to court. Eight police officers were killed during the Haymarket Riot labor dispute. The officers were at the scene of a civil disorder when the rioters opened fire and threw a bomb into the crowd. Eight police officers suffered fatal wounds and 70 other people were injured by the gunfire and explosion. The officers who were killed included Patrolman Mathias Degan, Patrolman John Barrett, Patrolman George Miller, Patrolman Timothy Flavin, Patrolman Thomas Redden, Patrolman Nels Hansen and Patrolman Michael Sheehan. Patrolman Timothy Sullivan succumbed to his wounds two years later, on June 13, 1888.

Survivors

Officer Degan was a widower who was survived by his son; he is buried in Saint Boniface Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.

In Our Keeping

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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

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Tributes

140 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Patrolman Degan gave the Chicago Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Chicago, Cook County, IL
Platform Identity cpd.cook.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 4, 1886
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 6 mo
Age 34
Badge Number 648
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Explosives

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Mathias is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

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

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Compare against
I

Time

In 1886, 51 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 139th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Mathias was 34. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Mathias had served 1.5 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

May holds 8% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Tuesdays: 13.4%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was explosives, in 0.3% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Chicago Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Mathias among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Patrolman Mathias J. Degan

Chicago Police Department · End of Watch May 4, 1886

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 54-E

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