Alvin Dewey


Alvin Adams Dewey was a special agent of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Early life

Dewey was born in Murdock, Kansas, on September 10, 1912, to Alvin Adams Dewey Sr, originally from Illinois, and Nellie E. Dewey.

Career

Dewey is most known for his role as the chief investigator of the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, a case made famous by Truman Capote's 1966 book In Cold Blood. He worked to find the killers, Perry Edward Smith and Richard Hickock, in late 1959, before they were found on 30 December of that year in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dewey had previously worked as a Kansas state trooper, as an FBI special agent, and as the sheriff of Finney County.

Personal life

Dewey was married to Marie Louise Dewey and resided in Garden City for most of his life.

Film portrayals

Dewey was portrayed in the 1967 film version of In Cold Blood by John Forsythe, by Sam Neill in the 1996 TV miniseries adaptation, by Chris Cooper in 2005's Capote and by Jeff Daniels in 2006's Infamous.