95 Years Later: Washington State Patrol Honors Trooper’s Legacy

Today the Washington State Patrol honors a Trooper lost in the line of duty 95 years ago to the date.

Remembering Trooper Henry D. Cossmann on the Anniversary of His Death

Today marks the 95th anniversary of the tragic death of Washington State Patrol Officer Henry Douglas Cossmann, who lost his life in the line of duty on October 9, 1929. Just two weeks prior, on September 23, Cossmann was involved in a motorcycle collision in Tacoma that left him with severe head injuries. He succumbed to those injuries at the age of 29, leaving behind a grieving widow and a newly formed agency grappling with the loss of one of its own.

Cossmann was born on September 17, 1900, in Dewitt, Iowa, to John and Beoda Cossmann. The family later moved to Lane County, Oregon, where Henry, along with his two brothers, developed a love for the outdoors. His father worked various jobs, including as a blacksmith and a janitor at the University of Oregon. Henry would later attend that University.

After serving in the Army Air Corps as an aviation field patrolman, he returned to his studies and married Ruby Myrtle McWherter, a fellow alum. The couple eventually moved to Washington, where Cossmann worked as a driver and teacher before joining the Washington State Highway Patrol on August 6, 1929.

Tragically, Cossmann's career was cut short just two months after his commissioning. The collision that took his life occurred at the intersection of 46th Street and Park Avenue in Tacoma. Witnesses reported that he was broadsided by an oncoming vehicle while attempting to make a turn. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Cossmann never regained consciousness.

His funeral showed the impact his sacrifice had made with an impressive procession of 28 state patrolmen, representing more than half of the force at that time, along with 14 members of the Tacoma Police Department, escorted his body. The turnout illustrated the camaraderie and respect Cossmann earned, even as a rookie officer and the Washington State Patrol still shows that respect to this day almost 100 years later.