Chicago Police Department, Illinois
End of Watch: Tuesday, May 4, 1886
Age: 34
Tour of Duty: 1 year, 6 months
Badge Number: 648
Cause of Death: Bomb
Date of Incident: May 4, 1886
Weapon Used: Explosives; Bomb
Suspect Info: Four executed
Officer Mathias J. Degan was with other officers assigned to disperse crowds near Haymarket Square. A bomb was thrown and exploded amidst the officers. Officer Degan was struck by shrapnel. He was the first of eight officers to die in what is known as the historic Haymarket Tragedy.
Officer Degan served with the Chicago Police Department for a year and a half and was assigned to the 3rd Precinct. Officer Degan was a widower who was survived by his son; he is buried in Saint Boniface Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois.
Eight men were arrested and charged with the officers' murders. Seven were convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The other one was sentenced to 15 years. On November 11, 1887, four of them were executed by hanging. The day before, one of the suspects killed himself in his cell with a smuggled dynamite cap which he detonated in his mouth. The other three were pardoned by Governor Altgeld in 1893. Of the eight charged, historical reports note only two were at the scene. The bomber was never correctly identified or brought to court.