As a night marshal in Pulaski County, Missouri, Alexander Dotson Sutton protected and befriended thousands of soldiers and their families stationed at Fort Leonard Wood during World War II. "During the construction of Fort Leonard Wood, I was on guard and was also there when the first fifteen soldiers arrived," he proudly commented to a friend in 1948. He would frequently have his photograph taken with the soldiers and most would come looking for him before being shipped overseas just to say goodbye to the man they affectionately called "Pop."
He always had a soft spot for the soldiers and once said, "I don't suppose I will ever have to go overseas where these soldiers were going, but I know that I will go down some time, somewhere, and I will have a warm feeling toward all soldiers when I do go down. Why not, when I know that they fought, bled, and died for me and for you."
"Pop" Sutton had actually begun his law enforcement career many years earlier as a constable in Rubidoux Township, Missouri. He went on to serve as deputy sheriff and sheriff in Pulaski County where his horse, Midnight, his pearl-handled revolver, and his friendly banter helped to make "Pop" an unforgettable and beloved figure around town.
All of this helped to explain why his death on June 25, 1952, hit the residents of Pulaski County so hard. "Pop" died 25 days after being struck by a car while on foot patrol. It was the end of a historic law enforcement career. Dotson "Pop" Sutton had served as a peace officer for 51 years, and was 80 years old when he died, making him the oldest active law enforcement officer ever to be killed in the line of duty.
Editor Note-Pop Sutton was Pulaski County Sheriff in 1905, the year that Elias Smith was executed by hanging on the courthouse square for murder.
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