Lieutenant Christian Frederick Tuerck L-22
(1887-1930)
Christian was born January 11, 1887, the sixth of seven children born to German immigrants Henry and Katherine (Kossmann) Tuerck. He attended the 6th District School (Elm and Odeon Streets) for five years, then 3rd Intermediate School at Woodward and Main for three years, and finally at Woodward High School (13th and Sycamore Streets) for two years. In 1900, the family was living at 1549 Elm Street in Over the Rhine.
Sometime after high school, Christan joined the United States Navy and served as a Boatswain, probably after the Spanish American War, and served for four years. He was also mattress maker for a year at the Anderson Mattress Company in Anderson, Indiana, but we do not know if that was before or after the Navy.
Christian joined the Cincinnati Police Department on March 30, 1911 as a Substitute Patrolman. When hired, he was married, stood 6’1”, weighed 210 pounds, and spoke English and German. His most recent residences had been 100 W. Clifton Avenue and 1542 Elm Street, both in Overt the Rhine. He went through a 90-day School of Instruction (3rd floor of City Hall) and then he would have served in multiple districts wherever he was needed. He was promoted to Patrolman on June 10, 1912 and assigned to District 2 (314 Broadway).
He married a divorcee, Jesse Biggio (27), of 310 E. Pearl Street on April 23, 1913.
In less than two years as a Patrolman, having finished first on a competitive Civil Service promotional examination, he was promoted to Detective on February 14, 1914 and assigned to the City Auditor’s Office, a certain indication of his perceived intelligence.
Detective Tuerck played on the Departments volleyball team. The home games were at the Police Gymnasium (4th floor of City Hall).
After two years as a Detective, he was promoted again to Sergeant on April 22, 1916 and assigned to District 3 (East McMicken and Hamer Streets). This had to be a near record pace for promotions at the time.
On August 25, 1917, while living at 1320 Bremen Street, he was accepted by the Draft Board to fight in World War II and was summoned to appear for physical examination on August 31st. ^e^e As the sole supporter for a wife and child, with a current occupation as a law enforcement supervisor, and having already enlisted and served four years in the Navy, it is doubtful that he was activated again. He was certainly in Cincinnati as a Sergeant on February 4, 1919.
On March 6, 1921, The Enquirer reported that he finished 10th in a Civil Service promotional examination for Lieutenant, insufficient to be promoted before the list “died.” However, on July 3, 1924, The Enquirer reported that he finished 1st in another examination for Lieutenant. He was promoted to Lieutenant on August 5, 1924 and assigned as a shift commander in District 3.
There are many newspaper accounts of his being involved in 3rd District criminal and traffic investigations and interrogations as a Sergeant. His elevation to Lieutenant did not hamper his desire to be a cop. Never was that more evident than on April 22, 1926, when he noticed a car idling early in the morning in front of Henry Dusterbergs’ drugstore at 13th Street and Broadway. There had been 21 burglaries of drugstores in and around Cincinnati in the past four months. He and a patrolman quietly removed the driver and took him into the drugstore where they found two other burglars inside. Using the first suspect as a shield, they demanded the two drop their weapons and sacks loaded with whiskey. It had been the burglars’ second trip to business, having taken $200 (over $3,500 in 2025 dollars) in narcotics on the first trip. And the car was found to be stolen. Detectives ended up recovering three stolen cars and over $10,000 (almost $180,000 today) in stolen goods from previous burglaries.
Chief Robert Copelan had a policy during Prohibition of transferring commanders frequently. By August 1926, Lieutenant Tuerck was transferred to District 2. On August 21st, again out on patrol, apparently on foot, he heard gunshots and ran to their origin, as did three Patrolmen who heard them. They found the shooter and closed in on him and he surrendered. A pistol was in his pocket. An investigation found the man had robbed a restaurant and when he left, the owner retrieved a pistol, came out of the store, and chased the robber while firing shots at him.
On February 25, 1928, he responded to a tenement building on fire and physically assisted the tenants to safety. After a filling station hold up and being chased by patrolmen from Court Street and Gilbert Avenue to 6th and Baum Streets, Lieutenant Tuerck found the robbing hiding under a wheelbarrow at 535 E. 8th Street and made the arrest.
On June 24, 1929, his son, Cadet Christian, Jr., won academic honors in the 7th Grade of the Ohio Military Institute. One award was earned in each grade. In November, he was awarded the gold medal for heading Class A with an average of 94.3% and second place prize for good conduct. He was also top marksman in the class.
On November 11, 1928, he and a patrolman made another arrest of a burglar at the Federal Distributing Company at 219 E. 3rd Street.
By 1930, Lieutenant Tuerck was one of the most popular officers in the Department. He was also a member of the Cynthia Masonic Lodge and of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
Lieutenant Tuerck became ill on January 21, 1930 and on January 25th his illness turned to pneumonia. He died at his residence at 1542 Elm Street at 11 p.m. on January 27, 1930, at the age of 43, having served our country and community almost 23 years.
Lieutenant Tuerck was survived by his wife of 16 years, Jessie (Frommel) Tuerck; son, Christian “William” Tuerck, Jr.; and siblings, Mrs. August Ernst, Robert C. Tuerck, and Henry Tuerck, Jr.
Nurre Brothers undertaking home, 1564 Elm Street, handled the arrangements. His funeral was held January 30, 1930 from the funeral home, officiated by Reverend Hans Haup, pastor of St. Peter’s Evangelical Church. Pallbearers included Lieutenant George Wagner, Lieutenant Bernard Milligan, and Sergeant George Piepenbring.
Christian Tuerck, Jr. graduated from Woodward High School a few years later. We speculate that he was unable to continue at the military institute after his father’s death.
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