Oldest Md. State Trooper Known as 'Toughest' in State Dies at 94

Thomas E. “Ed” Mullinix Sr., of New Windsor, died March 7 at Autumn Lake Healthcare at Long View in Manchester. The Howard County native and retired Maryland State trooper was 94.

Before his death, Cpl. Mullinix was the oldest living Maryland State trooper, according to the MSP Alumni Association.

Family members said he was one tough trooper. How tough? Twice, while on patrol, Cpl. Mullinix stopped his own wife for moving violations.

“Dad would have pulled over his mother if she deserved it,” said his son, Tom Mullinix, Jr.

Born in Glenelg on the family farm, he attended Clarksville High School, then joined the Maryland National Guard. In 1951, he joined the state police and spent 28 years as a trooper at the Waterloo Barracks, doing the job he’d dreamed of as a child.

“His own father had once been sheriff of Howard County,” his son said. “Dad loved to be of service to the community, and he thought of no better way to do it than to wear a badge.”

Known for his unerring judgment and strict moral sense, Cpl. Mullinix had several close calls on the job. Once, while he was patrolling Route 40, a cattle truck carrying eight steers flipped onto his patrol car, crushing it and severely injuring him. Another time, on Route 1, he stopped a motorist for a faulty headlight.

“When dad went up to the car, the woman rolled up her window and dragged him down the road for about a mile until he could reach in and grab the steering wheel,” his son said.

In 1958, Cpl. Mullinix made headlines in The Baltimore Sun for having arrested the driver of a stolen car on Route 29 and recovered $24,000 in stolen jewelry on the back seat.

While on duty, he played no favorites, his son said:

“Twice, as a kid, I was with my mother when dad turned on his lights and pulled her over. The first time was because she failed to dim the high beam headlights; the second was for having a hole in her muffler. That time, he did it as mom was pulling into our driveway, with the neighbors watching. That earned him the reputation as ‘the toughest trooper in the state.’ ”

Retiring in 1978, he kept busy. He returned to farming cattle and sheep and was active in the Clarksville Lions Club, where he served as district governor. A near lifelong member of the Howard County Fair, he was president of that organization for three years.

Married 75 years, he and his wife, Jenny, also ran a bus contracting business for 66 years in the county.

He is survived by his wife and son, both of Union Bridge; a daughter, Vonnie Mullinix Johnson, of McLean, Virginia; five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

A viewing will be held March 16, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Haight Funeral Home & Chapel, in Sykesville. The funeral service is March 17, at 11 a.m. at the same site. Interment will follow at Mountainview Cemetery in Marriottsville.

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