Earl R. Harrouff

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Picture of Special Agent Earl Raymond Harrouff
Date of Birth: 
1894
Date of Death: 
January 12, 1950
Location of Death: 
Cameron, MO
Picture of US Treasury Department IRS Investigator badge

Circumstances of Death

Special Agents Earl Raymond Harrouff and Gus Gehlbach had completed a National Firearms Act investigation and were returning to Kansas City, Missouri. As they drove along a highway near the city of Cameron, their vehicle was involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer truck. The government vehicle went into a skid, crossed the road and crashed into a ditch. Agent Harrouff was thrown from the car and died enroute to the local hospital. Agent Gehlbach suffered severe injuries, but survived.

Background

Agent Harrouff joined the Prohibition Unit on October 28, 1922, serving as a junior chemist at the Little Rock, Arkansas laboratory. He became a special agent in September 1935 and served in offices at St. Louis and Kansas City. He carried badge #340. Previously, he was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served from 1917-1918 in a chemical warfare unit.

Personal

Agent Harrouff was born in Coats, Kansas. He was survived by his wife, Louise.

Associated Artifacts: 
The Sedalia Democrat article about Earl Harrouff car accident
Last Reviewed July 17, 2020