Oran Pape

Who was Oran Pape?

Oran Henry Pape was a member of the Iowa State Patrol in the United States. To date, he is the only member of the Patrol to have been murdered in the line of duty.

Prior to joining the Patrol, Pape played American football. He played high school football at Dubuque Senior High School, where he was part of the 1924 Iowa State championship football team. Pape then played college football at the University of Iowa. Following college, he played in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, the Minneapolis Red Jackets, the Providence Steam Roller, the Boston Braves, and the Staten Island Stapletons, it was with the Packers, that he was a member of their 1930 NFL Championship team, he left the NFL in 1934, and returned to Iowa, where he attended the State Police Academy At Camp Dodge.

Pape was appointed to the newly formed Iowa Highway Patrol in August 1935, one of the first men to become an officer in the Patrol.

On April 28, 1936, Pape was patrolling U.S. Highway 61 near Muscatine, Iowa. He noticed a car that had been reported stolen. After pulling the car over, Pape approached the car. The driver, Roscoe Barton, pointed his gun at Pape and ordered him into his car. Barton drove away with Pape as his hostage. A short while later, Pape saw an opportunity to overpower Barton, and the two began struggling. During the struggle, Barton was shot in the head, and Pape was shot in the abdomen.