William M. Scudder
Agency patch
Undersheriff

William M. Scudder

Felonious
End of Watch May 14, 1884
Age 39
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Gender Male

Incident

Undersheriff William Scudder was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man who had assaulted a deputy the previous day.

The man shot Undersheriff Scudder in the chest during the arrest. The subject was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Undersheriff Scudder had served two years with the Barry County Sheriff's Office and previously served as the Sergeant-at-Arms for two sessions of the Michigan Senate.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and child.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
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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

142 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Undersheriff Scudder gave the Barry County Sheriff's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Hastings community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Hastings, Barry County, MI
Platform Identity bcso.barry.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 14, 1884
Tour of Duty 2 yrs
Age 39
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Handgun

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 1884, 52 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 137th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

William was 39. 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 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

May holds 8% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Wednesdays: 12.9%.

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 handgun, in 23.4% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded

Undersheriff William M. Scudder

Barry County Sheriff's Office · End of Watch May 14, 1884

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 28-E

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Barry County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.

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