- Home
- Helpful Links
- History
History
Nomenclature
The word "Sheriff" is of English derivation, a contraction of the words "shire" (county) and "reeve" (an agent of the king). Remember the "Sheriff of Nottingham"? He and his counterparts weren't very popular were they? They held office either because their father did, or they received what was termed "royal appointment" (based not on abilities, but instead by what particular favors they had done for the crown). Their remuneration depended upon how much taxes they collected - so you can readily understand what their principal duty was and why they resorted in some cases to "less than ethical" methods of collection.
Current Practices
Today's Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of his county by virtue of public acclaim, in the form of election every four years by the eligible voting populace of his county.
His chief deputy is appointed by the Sheriff to help him with his duties and act as chief coordinator.
In most offices the Sheriff's personnel are unique in that all functions of the office are performed by any deputy, whether the assignment be in the corrections field, the court system, or the law enforcement division. For example, he may act as a bailiff or a jailer, transport a prisoner, serve a civil process, or patrol a road, all in the same day. It is for this reason the Sheriff's Office operates in such a smooth manner and on such an economical scale, resulting in great benefit to the taxpayers.
Historical Information
For more historical information, please visit The Shelby County Historical Society’s page on the History of Shelby County Sheriffs.
Former Sheriffs
Name | Elected Term |
---|---|
James Hamilton | 1818 to 1820 |
William B. Arnold | 1820 to 1822 |
Ezekiel Henry | 1822 to 1827 |
James M. Nabors | 1827 to 1829 |
Jacob D. Shelly | 1829 to 1831 |
Martin H. McHenry | 1831 to 1834 |
Thomas Toomey | 1834 to 1837 |
Archibald Sloan | 1837 to 1840 |
Benjamin F. Randall | 1840 to 1843 |
Thomas H. Brasher | 1843 to 1846 |
Benjamin F. Randall | 1846 to 1849 |
James M. Finley | 1849 to 1852 |
Hudson W. Nelson | 1852 to 1855 |
John T. McCormick | 1855 |
William P. Reeves | 1855 to 1856 |
Todd R. Wyatt | 1856 to 1857 |
John Edmondson | 1857 |
Henry J. Sawyer | 1857 to 1860 |
Richard H. Brasher | 1860 to 1863 |
James Walton | 1863 to 1865 |
James H. Duran | 1865 |
Charles B. Elliott | 1865 to 1866 |
Columbus C. Cunningham | 1866 |
Thomas Harrison | 1866 to 1868 |
Lewis H. Duyck | 1868 to 1869 |
Thomas Harrison | 1869 to 1872 |
Francis A. Nelson | 1872 to 1877 |
Rufus M. DeShazo | 1877 to 1880 |
Francis A. Nelson | 1880 to 1884 |
Edwin F. Vest | 1884 to 1888 |
William R. Carter | 1888 to 1892 |
Hudson W. Nelson | 1892 to 1896 |
Edwin F. Vest | 1896 to 1899 |
Junius L. Walthall | 1899 to 1900 |
Robert F. Cox | 1900 to 1906 |
James H. Fulton | 1906 to 1909 |
Henry M. Norris | 1909 to 1910 |
John R. Allan | 1911 to 1915 |
James H. Fulton | 1915 to 1918 |
John A. “Andrew” Jackson | 1919 to 1922 |
James J. Falkner | 1923 to 1926 |
Curtis J. Falkner | 1927 to 1929 |
Knox E. Wooley | 1929 to 1934 |
Claude H. Fore | 1935 to 1938 |
Walter B. “Bun” White | 1939 to 1942 |
Luther T. Bozeman | 1943 to 1950 |
Alva E. “Bud” Norwood | 1950 to 1954 |
Hugh M. Sims | 1955 to 1958 |
Charles H. “Chuck” Harris | 1959 |
Charles P. “Red” Walker | 1959 to 1978 |
James F. “Buddy” Glasgow | 1979 to 1990 |
James L. Jones | 1991 to 2002 |
Chris D. Curry | 2003 to 2014 |
John Samaniego | 2015 to Present |