End of Watch: 11/04/1934
Agency: Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office
County: Kitsap County
On Sunday, November 4, 1934, Kitsap County Sheriff Daniel Blankenship was driving his brother, Undersheriff Rush Blankenship, to the hospital. Undersheriff Blankenship had suffered an arm injury while breaking up a fight at a dance hall in Bremerton earlier in the day and needed emergency surgery.
The sheriff and undersheriff were also joined by their brother, Albert, on the trip to Seattle. No ferries were working at the time, so they were forced to drive around through Olympia. With Sheriff Blankenship behind the wheel about five miles south of Tacoma, one of the tires blew out. The car left the roadway and crashed into a tree.
Sheriff Blankenship died at the scene. Undersheriff Rush Blankenship and Albert were transported to St. Joseph’s in Tacoma to recover from their injuries.
Sheriff’s Blankenship’s brother, Sheriff Paul Blankenship, was struck and killed by a vehicle six years later while also serving as Kitsap County Sheriff.
Daniel Blankenship had served as Kitsap County Sheriff for eight years.