Sheriffs, 1821-2019 (list)

Here is a list of people – all men – who have served as sheriff of Sangamon County since the county was established on Jan. 30, 1821. Dates indicate when the sheriffs were commissioned unless noted.

John Taylor: 1821, ’22, ’24, ‘26
James D. Henry: 1828, ’30, ‘32
Garrett Elkin: 1834, ’36, ‘38
William Elkin: 1840, ‘42
William Harvey: 1844, ‘46
Charles Arnold: 1848
Josiah Francis: 1850
Charles Arnold: 1852
John Webber: 1854
John Cook: 1856
Joseph Pirkins: 1858
John W. Smith: 1860
Milton Hicks: 1862
William Crafton: 1864
Samuel Shoup: 1866
Dwight Brown: 1868
A.B. McConnell: 1872
William Barrett: 1872
Louis Ticknor: 1874
Temp Elliott: 1876
Samuel Shoup: 1878
Hampton Gibson: 1880
Alfred Malone: 1882
John Condell Jr.: 1886
Patrick Murray: 1890 (4-year terms commence)
Edward Baxter: 1894
Charles Woods: 1898
B.H. Brainerd: 1902
Charles Werner: 1906
Henry Mester: 1910
John Wheeler: 1914
Henry Mester: 1918
O.E. Lemon: 1922
James Kent: 1926
Samuel Metcalf: 1930 (removed for reason of insanity in September 1933)
Allan Cole: Appointed Sept. 12, 1933; died Oct. 19, 1934
William Natterman: Appointed Oct. 23, 1934
Luke Gaule: Commissioned Nov. 15, 1934
Harry Eielson: 1938
Walter Hagler: 1943
Meredith Rhule: 1947
James Walsh: 1951
Harold Barrow: 1953
Arthur Gross: 1955
Hugh Campbell: 1959
James Christensen: 1963
Edward Ryan: 1967
Hugh Campbell: 1971
Martin Gutschenritter: 1975
James Purdon: 1978 (resigned 1985)
Bill DeMarco: Appointed 1985; elected 1986
Neil Williamson: 1994
Wes Barr: 2014
Jack Campbell, 2018

Source: Sangamon Valley Collection, Lincoln Libraryschs logo (2)

Original content copyright Sangamon County Historical Society. You are free to republish this content as long as credit is given to the Society.

This entry was posted in Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Sangamon County. Bookmark the permalink.

5 Responses to Sheriffs, 1821-2019 (list)

  1. Lee Vance says:

    I am looking for a web link(s) that will help me determine whether my great grandmother (Alethea Eugenia Fuller) was indeed a Deputy Sheriff for Sangamon County probably between 1885 (she turned 20) and 1895 (she got married). I am pretty good at researching but I have no idea whether I should start with a County agency (which one), or whether your society has anything that can answer my question.
    During this period it was common for histories of local institutions to be published, since the people who had originally been involved were starting to die out. So, a History of the Sangamon Sheriff’s Office? Confirmation she was an employee (from-to) pay grade etc??? Any help would be appreciated. She was a remarkable woman

    Lee Vance

    • editor says:

      Mr. Vance: A real quick check of Springfield newspaper archives for 1885-95 found 12 mentions of Alethea Fuller and three more for “Aletha” Fuller. The earliest is 1891 (when the paper says she lived in Decatur, apparently her home town); the latest is 1895. They were all brief social notes — about dances, visits to and from Decatur, etc. A couple of them say she returned to her “statehouse duties;” however, there’s nothing about her working for the sheriff’s office. (I’d be very surprised if the sheriff had any female deputies at the time; there might have been a matron for female jail inmates, but that job typically was left up to the sheriff’s wife.) Ancestry.com has an 1894 city directory listing that says Alethea Fuller was a stenographer for the insurance department (apparently a state agency) at that point; that probably explains the references to “statehouse duties.”
      I’m not sure about the other sources you asked about, sorry. But if you haven’t done it already, you could check Springfield city directories more systematically at the Sangamon Valley Collection, the local history section of Lincoln Library, Springfield’s municipal library. If you’re unable to do so in person, you can call them at 217-753-4900, ext. 5634. They’re very helpful. Good luck.

  2. Michael J. says:

    Is there a source of photographs of the past Sheriffs of Sangamon County? I am particularly looking for a portrait (or any other image) of Sheriff Charles M. Woods (1898-1902).
    Thanks for any information.

  3. Lee Vance says:

    All; This just popped up in my in-basket – six months after you sent it!! Many thanks for your thoughtful and informative response. I’ll continue to look.
    Regards
    Lee

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