On this day, Jan. 11, in 1794, Robert Forsyth became the first U.S. marshal to be killed in the line of duty. Forsyth, who had been appointed the U.S. marshal for Georgia in 1789, was slain while he was serving a civil court document on two brothers, Beverly and William Allen. Beverly Allen hid, then fired his pistol when Forsyth knocked on the door. The 40-year-old Forsyth was hit in the head and died instantly. Forsyth’s deputies arrested Allen, but he later escaped and was never recaptured.
Forsyth was born in Scotland and came to the United States as a teenager. His family arrived in New England, then settled in Fredericksburg. Forsyth returned to Virginia after fighting in the Revolutionary War but moved to Georgia in 1785.
— Emily Babay
