William S. Wright
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

William S. Wright

Letcher County Sheriff's Office — Whitesburg, KY
Felonious
End of Watch January 30, 1900
Age 44
Tour of Duty 3 mo
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff William Wright was shot and killed by two brothers as he was on his way home. The brothers opened fire at the same time as the three met on the road, killing Deputy Wright instantly.

In 1902, two brothers were indicted, but only one was convicted of his murder during a heavily attended and highly emotional trial in Bell County and sentenced to life in prison.

Deputy Wright had served with the Letcher County Sheriff's Office for only three months.

Deputy Wright's son, William Wright, was shot and killed in the line of duty on April 11, 1901, while attempting to arrest his father's killers.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and 11 children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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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.
Deputy Sheriff Wright served with the Letcher County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Whitesburg community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Wright.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Whitesburg, Letcher County, KY
Platform Identity lcso.letcher.ky.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch January 30, 1900
Tour of Duty 3 mo
Age 44
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Rifle; Winchester

The Sacrifice · Felonious

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

34,117 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 1900, 86 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 74th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

William was 44. 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. William had served 0.2 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

January 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 rifle; winchester, in 0.4% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Letcher County Sheriff's Office has 19 officers remembered here, William among them.

Deputy Sheriff William S. Wright

Letcher County Sheriff's Office · End of Watch January 30, 1900

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 59-E

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