Police Officer William Sebastian Hendrickson

William Sebastian Hendrickson

Police Officer William Hendrickson died as a result of contracting the Spanish Influenza while on duty.

Due to the devastation of the Spanish Influenza pandemic, Philadelphia Police districts were used as makeshift hospitals. Police officers were ordered to fill and deliver prescriptions, act as pallbearers of victims, placard homes, collect bodies of victims of homes, assist doctors and health officers, and make sure establishments were closed and following guidelines to stop the spread of the flu.

Officer Hendrickson served with the Philadelphia Police Department for 14 years. He was survived by his wife, and four children.

From 1918 to early 1919, the Spanish flu pandemic infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide—about one-third of the planet’s population—and killed approximately 675,000 Americans. Many officers contracted this virus due to the requirements of their job.