P.O. Box 901, Prosser WA 99350 /wspmemorialfoundation@gmail.com / 360.597.4411

Allen E. Ludden was born on August 9, 1900, to John L. Ludden and Florence B. Johnston.  As a teenager, Ludden lived in Hoquiam and later joined the armed forces, serving as a private in World War I, as a member of the 44th Infantry. 

 

Ludden married his wife, Frances Beulah Cote, on November 5, 1927, in King County.  The pair resided in Grays Harbor where he worked as a sign maker at New Sign Company in Aberdeen.  The couple had two boys, Allen Jr., and Richard. 

 

Ludden later worked as a mechanic in Spokane in 1932.  He joined the Washington State Highway Patrol under the command of Chief William Cole on October 5, 1936.  Ludden and his family moved to the Seattle area where he patrolled.

 

Patrolman Allen Ludden died on March 15, 1938, at the age of 37.  He died from injuries sustained after he lost control of his motorcycle south of the Seattle city limits at a weigh station on the Seattle-Tacoma Highway.  At the time of his death, Patrolman Ludden served 18 months with the Washington State Highway Patrol.

​

Patrolman Ludden’s son, Richard passed away in 1977, from a motorcycle collision at the age of 40.  The Memorial Foundation has been in contact with Trooper Ludden’s granddaughter Christina (Richard’s only child).  Christina lives in the Seattle area and works for the Seattle School District.  Her husband, Mike, is a Boeing employee and works in Everett.  They have two children, ages 26 and 23.

​

Allen Ludden Jr. passed away in 2016, and we have not been able to make contact with his four children.  If you have any information on members of Patrolman Ludden’s family, please contact Megan King at (360) 597-4411 or wspmemorialfoundation@gmail.com.