John Marsden Sampson was born on this day in 1906, in Yadkin County, to J. B. L. and Sallie Hutchens Sampson.
John came to Winston-Salem in 1922 and worked with Chatham Manufacturing Company. He also served for six years as a sergeant in Company G, 120th Infantry.
He joined the Winston-Salem Police Department in 1937. He was working as a motorcycle officer when his motorcycle crashed into the side of a truck while he pursued a speeding motorist. The bakery truck ahead of him made a left turn onto Sixteenth Street, and the officer was not able to avoid the crash.
His injuries were not regarded as serious at first, but later it was discovered that he had suffered a critical head injury. John passed away four days after the accident, in 1940.
He was a member of Harmony Grove Friends Church in Yadkin County. John was married to Marie Gwynn Sampson.
