Samuel P. Cowley

Samuel Parkinson Cowley (July 23, 1899 – November 28, 1934) was an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who was killed in the line of duty in a gunfight with Baby Face Nelson in 1934 on Route 14 in Barrington, Illinois.

Prior to joining the FBI, Samuel Cowley attended Utah State Agricultural College and George Washington University Law School.

In early 1934, Cowley was sent by J. Edgar Hoover (as head of the "Flying Squad") to Chicago specifically to aid the FBI pursuit of John Dillinger.

Near Barrington, Illinois (northwest of Chicago) Nelson began chasing a car with two FBI agents (who were only lightly armed).

Hollis was killed instantly when a bullet hit him in the face, but Cowley survived long enough to identify Nelson and his companions to Purvis.

Both men played critically important parts in ending the Midwest crime spree started by the Dillinger gang.

A plaque at the Barrington Park District in Barrington, Illinois commemorates the site of the Battle of Barrington , a 1934 shootout that claimed the lives of FBI agents Cowley and Herman Hollis and resulted in the death of notorious Chicago gangster Baby Face Nelson.