P.O. Box 901, Prosser WA 99350 /wspmemorialfoundation@gmail.com / 360.597.4411

Patrolman H. Douglas Cossmann died on October 9, 1929, at the age of 29.  He died from injuries he received in a collision with an automobile and his motorcycle at the intersection of 46th Street and Park Avenue in Tacoma.  He was transported to a local hospital and never regained consciousness, tragically succumbing to his injuries on Oct. 9, 1929.  At the time of his death, Patrolman Cossmann had served only two months with the Washington State Highway Patol as a Patrolman.

 

Patrolman Cossmann was born on September 17, 1900, in Dewitt, Iowa, to John Cossmann and Beoda Kirtley.  He grew up with two brothers, Leo and James.  His father was a janitor for the University of Oregon, where Douglas and his brother, Leo, attended.

 

After moving to Washington, Patrolman Crossmann worked as a teacher and as a driver for the BM&S Company in the Tacoma area before being commissioned with the Washington State Highway Patrol on August 6, 1929. 

 

Over the years the Washington State Patrol has lost contact with Patrolman Cossmann’s family.  If you have any information on members of Patrolman Cossmann’s family, please contact Megan King at (360) 597-4411, or wspmemorialfoundation@gmail.com.

 

Please take a moment to remember Patrolman H. Douglas Cossmann and his family.