Max R. Oldham
Agency patch
Police Officer

Max R. Oldham

Albuquerque Police Department — Albuquerque, NM
Felonious
End of Watch February 21, 1959
Age 22
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
The Vigil Panel 94 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Oldham was killed when his police motorcycle was struck head-on by a drunk driver. The motorcycle was the same one that Officer Richard Armijo was killed on five months earlier. The 59-year-old driver was jailed on a drunk driving and manslaughter charge. On November 5, 1959, he pled no contest to the charges. The judge said he needed time to study the case and had him returned to jail. On Christmas Eve the judge had him released and deferred his sentence indefinitely. The driver died in 1964. Officer Oldham had served with the Albuquerque Police Department for 1 year.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and daughter.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

You barely got started.
Police Officer Oldham gave the Albuquerque Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Albuquerque community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Oldham.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, NM
Platform Identity apd.bernalillo.nm.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 21, 1959
Tour of Duty 1 yrs
Age 22
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Automobile

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Max 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.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1959, 61 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 123rd heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Max was 22. 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. Max had served 1 year; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

February holds 7.4% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Saturdays: 16.3%.

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 automobile, in 4.9% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Albuquerque Police Department has 15 officers remembered here, Max among them.

Police Officer Max R. Oldham

Albuquerque Police Department · End of Watch February 21, 1959

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 8-E

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