Age:  50
Served:  2 months
September 1925 to November 21, 1925

Ohio prohibition began in May 1919.  Federal war-time prohibition, a temporary measure, started in July 1919.  The final federal prohibition became effective in January 1920.  The Ohio statutes allowed justices of the peace and mayors of mayor’s court to enforce the law outside their jurisdictions and to keep the assets seized (declared unconstitutional in 1927).  Morris Y. Shuler was a Justice of the Peace for Wayne Township, Butler County, and Mayor of the Village of Seven Mile in 1922 and realized a fiscal opportunity for his village.  He hired six agents to enforce the state statutes and they became the scourge of bootleggers, rum runners, and “soft drink parlor” operators in all of Butler County, making 400 or 500 arrests a year with an 82% conviction rate.  During these years, several of Mayor Shuler’s agents had close calls with the violent offenders; including Mayor Shuler himself who had a stick of dynamite explode in his car.  Two of his agents were killed, including Robert Gary.

While raiding a still in Hamilton, Ohio on November 21, 1925, a shootout ensued and Agent Gary was hit in the neck.  His neck was broken and he died at 7:40 p.m.  No one was convicted of the Murder.
Agent Gary left a wife, Anna Laura Gary.  He was buried in Edgewood Cemetery, Ashtabula, Ohio.  His wife was buried next to him in 1932.

If you have further information, artifacts, or pictures of this officer, please contact the Museum Director at Director@GCPHS.com.