Alvin Adams Dewey (September 10, 1912 – November 6, 1987) was an American

special agent In the United States, a special agent is an official title used to refer to certain investigators or detectives of federal, military, tribal, or state agencies who primarily serve in criminal investigatory positions. Additionally, some special ...

of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Early life

Dewey was born in Murdock, Kansas, on September 10, 1912, to Alvin Adams Dewey Sr (6 September 1879 – 26 January 1948), originally from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, and Nellie E. Dewey (née Butler; 21 August 1885 – 15 October 1968).

Career

Dewey is most known for his role as the chief investigator of the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, a case made famous by

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics ...

's 1966 book '' In Cold Blood''. He worked to find the killers, Perry Edward Smith and

Richard Hickock Richard Eugene Hickock (June 6, 1931 – April 14, 1965) was one of two ex-convicts convicted of Clutter family murders, murdering four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote in ...

, in late 1959, before they were found on 30 December of that year in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

. Dewey had previously worked as a Kansas state trooper, as an

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

, and as the

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of Finney County.

Personal life

Dewey was married to Marie Louise Dewey (née Bellocq; 22 June 1919 – 6 May 2002) and resided in Garden City for most of his life.

Film portrayals

Dewey was portrayed in the 1967 film version of '' In Cold Blood'' by

John Forsythe John Lincoln Forsythe ( Freund; January 29, 1918 – April 1, 2010) was an American stage, film/television actor, producer, narrator, drama teacher and philanthropist whose career spanned six decades. He also appeared as a guest on several t ...

, by

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile acto ...

in the 1996 TV miniseries adaptation, by

Chris Cooper Christopher Walton Cooper (born July 9, 1951) is an American actor. Having made his debut as a stage actor, he made his Breakthrough role, breakthrough on television as Sheriff July Johnson in the acclaimed Western television miniseries ''Loneso ...

in 2005's '' Capote'' and by

Jeff Daniels Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor. He is known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accolades, including two Primetime ...

in 2006's '' Infamous''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dewey, Alvin 1912 births 1987 deaths American law enforcement officials People from Kingman County, Kansas Federal Bureau of Investigation agents People from Garden City, Kansas Law enforcement officials from Kansas