Headstone of Sidney Sanderlin

Sidney Sanderlin

1927

Sidney C. Sanderlin.

How He Died
Manner Homicide
Cause Gunshot wound
Mechanism Firearm
What Happened
Coast Guardsman Sidney Sanderlin, Coast Guardsman Victor Lamby, and Operative Robert Webster, of the United States Secret Service, were shot and killed by a suspect they had just arrested for rum running near the Bimini Islands in the Bahamas. The incident occurred after their Coast Guard Cutter CGC 249 stopped the suspects boat. The killer, a 43-year-old gulf stream pirate, was called the "King of the Rum Runners" during the prohibition era. He was sentenced to death and hung at the Coast Guard Station in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, on August 17, 1929. This was the only execution ever carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, the only execution ever carried out in a seaplane hangar, and the last legal hanging in Florida. A man on the boat with him was sentenced to one year after he turned states evidence. Guardsmen Sanderlin had previously served with the United States Army.
Survivors
He was survived by one daughter.
Photograph of Sidney Sanderlin
Photograph of Sidney Sanderlin
Service Record
Also Served
United States Coast Guard
Coast Guardsman
In Our Keeping
Permanent identifier neuraspine_01krbxtna7w1zmwnh2en65b65a
Record added August 2, 2026 neuraweb.nw
Stewarded by neuraweb.nw
Last updated August 2, 2026

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